The Usual Rules
by celaenos
Summary: 'Beauty' sequel, Set in season 7, Em and JJ are married, the team is working on a case involving a serial killer with a young daughter. After solving the case Em and JJ connect with the girl and decide to adopt her.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is the sequel to Beauty In All She Is! Told you it would be up quickly:) If you haven't read that one, you don't actually need to per say to get what happens in this, but it will give you a better understanding of Em and JJ's relationship. I'm setting this in the current season (7) so Emily and JJ have been married for about 3 years, I am sticking with everything canon. So JJ did leave and work for the Pentagon, come back as a profiler and Emily did "die" and come back, I'll touch on that briefly. Hopefully, you enjoy:)**

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending,"

-Maria Robinson

_Not many things surprised him anymore; but a four year old girl showing up at his doorstep with a suicide note pinned to her coat was a first for him. The fact that she shared his pale complexion, eye color, and curly brown hair only worried him further. He bent down without a word and ripped the note from her chest, leaving the pin in her coat. The girl had yet to speak, or even look him in the eye. The man read the note once, twice, three times before looking back down at the girl. She glanced up and their eyes met for the first time, "well fuck" he said, running his fingers through his hair. The girl looked back down at her feet._

* * *

><p>JJ sat on top of Emily's desk swinging her legs back and forth enjoying the look of sexual frustration she saw on her wife's face. A skirt had definitely been the right choice this morning.<p>

"Emily?" Reid asked again. "Emily?"

JJ smiled and lightly kicked her wife to get her attention. "What was that for?" The brunette asked. JJ simply nodded towards Reid and turned her attention back to Garcia.

"Huh, Reid?" Emily asked the scrawny young profiler.

"What did you think of last episode of Doctor Who?"

"I loved it. Craig is awesome, it was great to see him back. If Amy and Rory quit, he would make a fantastic companion."

JJ and Garcia rolled their eyes at their friends enthusiasm. Emily had tried to get her to watch that show so many times JJ had lost count. The blonde looked up as Morgan sauntered into the bullpen with a grin on his face. Motioning for JJ to keep quiet, he snuck up behind Garcia and covered her eyes. JJ laughed as her friend squealed and smacked Morgan.

"What's the verdict?" She asked him, nodding towards Hotch's office.

"We've got a case." Morgan said with a sigh. "From Hotch's face, a real bad one."

"Poop." Garcia said with a pout.

"Where is it?" Reid asked.

"New York I think." Morgan answered him, sipping his coffee. "Hotch told me to come get you guys. Anyone know where Rossi is?"

"Right behind you." Rossi said as he passed everyone and continued walking up to the conference room. JJ and the others followed behind him somewhat begrudgingly. They had just gotten back from a rather unpleasant case at a young boys military school and everyone was still on edge. Morgan especially. JJ knew that he was aware of the reasons for Strauss' leave of absence, but she – and no one else – had pried him for any information. The team settled down in their seemingly designated seats. JJ slid in next to Emily and Garcia and began flipping through the file in front of her.

"We've got six murders so far that we know of..." Hotch began.

"That we know of?" Emily asked.

"Yes." Hotch answered. "Garcia, I need you to begin looking immediately for these connections with these parameters, I've got a feeling there are more. Check within the last ten years." Hotch said handing Garcia a file.

"Yes sir." Garcia said taking the files and heading straight down to her office. JJ looked to Hotch, this didn't sound good at all.

"He guts them?" Morgan asked looking up from his file.

"He changes his MO, he's removed intestines, stabbed, raped, and cut their throats."

"Why do we think this is the same unsub?" Emily asked.

"Because he has a signature."

"Which is?' JJ asked.

"He always cuts this symbol into a part of their bodies." Hotch explained as he showed the photographs of the symbol on the screen. JJ watched as Reid leaned forward and studied it intently. A frown grew on his face.

"Do you recognize it?" She asked him.

"No!" He stated, clearly annoyed at the fact.

"I'm having Garcia search it, but there have already been multiple tries by new york detectives, it appears to be of his own making." Hotch told the team.

"So what's with this guy? Why weren't we called in sooner? Six murders?" Rossi asked.

"The murders were all found in different boroughs of the city, one was in Long Island, one in the Upper East side, in Queens, one almost in Jersey, one near Times Square, and one in Harlem. They only made the connections a week ago, and then the most recent murder happened this morning. In an old nightclub in Harlem. Maria Walker, 32, she was apparently a frequent amateur singer there at open mike nights. She was raped, her throat was cut, his symbol carved into her arm and she was left out by a dumpster behind the club. No fingerprints have been found so far, the crime scene is still enact, wheels up in fifteen minutes."

The team dispersed to gather their things and meet on the jet. JJ entwined her hand in Emily's as they walked out together. "So much for our weekend." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I have a feeling about this case. I don't know yet, but its not good."

JJ didn't say anything, knowing Emily wasn't looking for comfort, and there was none to give. JJ had a bit of an ominous feeling about this one as well. Rubbing her wife's arm, she gave her a tight smile and followed the team onto the jet.

* * *

><p><em>The girl sat waiting quietly, her hands folded into her lap. She had learned the hard way to be silent and still while the man was away. He often came back tired and angry, and she knew to stay out of his way. The first time, when he had come back to the hotel with blood all over his hands and clothes, she had asked him what had happened. He stared at her for a moment, then slapped her across the face. He had hit her so hard that she had fallen down. "Go to bed." He had said, before going into the bathroom to take a shower. The girl didn't like the man. He was mad all the time and it hurt when he hit her. Sometimes, she missed the woman. She had been with the man for almost a whole year now. The woman had cried all the time, and she hardly ever got out of bed. At least with the man, the girl was fed, and she got to go different places besides the big house. The girl had hated the house. The woman had hated the house too, it made her sad. She was always sad, no matter how much the girl tried to cheer her up. <em>

* * *

><p>Emily followed Morgan and Hotch immediately to the most current crime scene almost the second the jet landed. Rossi, JJ and Reid meet with the lead detective at the 12th precinct. A junior detective walked them through the scene and relayed bits and pieces of witness statements they had already taken. Three of the witnesses had been taken to the station to speak with the rest of the team. The club owner was inside and Emily went with Morgan to talk to him.<p>

"How well did you know Maria?" Morgan asked.

"Not all that well, I mean she was a nice girl, great voice, she played here like...I wanna say thirty times or so. We don't really keep that great of records for who plays, but I've got some information written down from her first audition." He said, handing over some papers to Emily.

"Do you have information on everyone that had played here?" Emily asked.

"Everyone we audition."

"Some people you don't?"

"Some of the bartenders have a band, and their friends play here every once in a while, but I know all those guys."

"We'll need all the information you have on all of the performers and workers here." Emily told him.

He nodded. "Yeah sure, whatever you need."

"We also need to know about regulars. Anybody you seen paying a little too much attention to Maria?" Morgan asked him.

"Not that I can think of, sorry."

"If you think of anything..." Morgan said holding out his card. The owner nodded and Emily and Morgan headed back outside to meet Hotch.

"Let's go back to the station, see what the others got out of the witnesses." Hotch said as they approached him. Emily nodded and followed the two men into the SUV.

* * *

><p>JJ pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She had just finished questioning Maria's band mate, he had found her body that morning on his way into rehearsal. Going over every detail she could get out of him had been exhausting and hadn't really gotten her anywhere. Maria was single, an only child, had done well in high school and college, well liked, friendly, and had no enemies that he could think of. Nothing to link her to any of the other woman, except she was a brunette and around the same age.<p>

"Any luck?" Rossi asked as she made her way out of the interview room.

"No, you?"

"Nothing we didn't already know."

JJ looked up as Emily, Hotch and Morgan arrived back at the station, from the looks on their faces, they hadn't had much luck either. JJ's phone buzzed and she silently prayed Garcia had something. "Hey Garcia, you're on speaker." JJ warned her best friend.

"Hello crime fighters, Boss Man, you're hunch was right; there have been six other murders baring that very same pesky little symbol. Which btw I have had zero luck identifying, pretty sure our crazy made it up himself. I've still got some searches running to see if I can identify it and will let you know if and when I do. All the other information, as long as everything you may ever need to know about our recent six women has been sent to your phones, anything new for me?"

"Run background checks on the club owner, all the workers and Morgan is sending you the information we have on the performers as well, see if you find any connections." Hotch told her.

"Will do, be safe, Garcia out!"

JJ shook her head in amusement and shared a look with Morgan. The team sat down and dug into the information Garcia had given them so far. It was going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p><em>One day, the girl's tummy had been so angry that she went over to the woman's room. She had stopped doing that most mornings, because the woman hardly ever even seemed to notice her presence anymore. The girl was confused when she saw the woman wasn't in her bed as usual. Frightened, she called out. "Mommy?" The girl looked in every room before finding the woman in the kitchen. It was so shocking to see her out of bed that the girl dropped her teddy bear. "Mommy?" She asked hesitantly. The woman turned around and smiled at the girl, but the smile scared her. She backed away slightly and whimpered. <em>

"_Come here baby." The woman said. _

"_I'm hungry." The girl whined. _

"_Okay, come here." _

_The girl hesitated, but her hunger forced her to move forward. Perhaps the woman wasn't sad anymore? Maybe now she would play with the girl and stay out of her bed. The woman lifted the girl up to the table and put on a coat. The girl was confused, they never needed coats, they never went outside. Only the old lady from next door ever came over and gave the girl food to eat. She wore a coat sometimes. The woman tucked a piece of paper to a pin and placed it onto the girls coat. She smiled the scary smile again and gave the girl a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The girl hungrily grabbed it and began taking the biggest bites she could manage. She didn't notice the woman leave the room. After the girl finished eating, she climbed down from the table and retrieved her teddy bear. She went to look for the woman, hoping they could play. "Mommy?" She called. The girl went from room to room, calling out and looking everywhere she could. The woman wasn't back in her bed, but as the girl turned to leave, she saw the bathroom door open. "Mommy?" She called out again. When she received no answer, the girl gently pushed the door open. _

_There was red all over the floor. It was coming out of the woman's arms. The girl held her teddy bear in front of her so she didn't have to look at the scary smile still on the woman's face. "Mommy?" She whispered. "I don't like this game." The woman didn't move. "Mommy, please stop now." The girl begged. She bravely moved the teddy bear and looked back down at the woman. "Mommy?" Her voice was barely audible as she stepped forward and crouched down next to the woman. "Mommy, can you wake up now?" The girl sat patiently, legs crossed, on top of the red liquid, beside the woman, holding the teddy bear. She would wait for the woman to wake up. She always woke up eventually. _

* * *

><p>Emily sighed as she followed her wife up the never ending stairs to their hotel room. "Historical buildings are bullshit. I'm all for history, but an elevator isn't going to hurt anything." She whined. Emily heard the blonde laugh ahead of her.<p>

"You getting old Prentiss?" JJ asked with a laugh. Emily glared at her wife, but JJ didn't bother turning around. They had – finally – reached their room for the night and JJ was busy digging around for the keys. It was well after three am and they had been working since about nine that morning. The day hadn't proven to bring anything worthwhile to the case and they were practically at zero. Emily couldn't shake the ominous feeling she had about this case and it pissed her off. JJ opened the door and Emily happily dropped her bag and flopped down onto the queen sized bed. "Seriously? At least change your clothes, I'm not sharing a bed with that smell. You were at a crime scene for half of the day. A crime scene by a dumpster in an alley behind a music club in the bad part of Harlem. I will make you sleep on the floor."

"You're a horrible wife." Emily mumbled into the bed.

"I'm a wonderful wife, but even I have my limits."

Emily shoved herself off of the bed and yanked her shirt off. JJ just shook her head and threw an oversized t-shirt at Emily. She pulled it on, shucked her pants, crawled back into the bed and snuggled deep under the covers. "Get in here." She said. JJ smiled at her as she pulled on some sweats and turned off the light. Emily lifted up the blanket for JJ to crawl into. "Much more comfortable." She said placing a kiss on JJ's forehead and wrapping her arms tightly around the blonde.

"You okay?" JJ whispered after a moment or two.

"Yeah fine, just tired."

"You still have a feeling?"

"Yeah," Emily said with a sigh.

"I've got one too." JJ admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll be happy when this case is over."

"Me too." Emily said snuggling further into her wife. "Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

_The woman wouldn't wake up. The girl had tried everything. She sang some songs, sat patiently until she was hungry again, then tried shaking her. By the time the girl got hungry again, she left the bathroom to try and find something to eat. The only thing that was in the refrigerator was old moldy cheese. The last time the girl had eaten that, it had made her sick. She closed the door and went back upstairs. The woman still hadn't moved. It was dark, and the girl was scared, she began to cry. _

_The girl went back downstairs and outside. Sometimes when she got too hungry, the old lady next door would feed her. She knocked softly on the front door and waited patiently, hugging her teddy bear. _

"_Come on in." The old lady said, recognizing the girl. _

"_Mommy won't get up." She whispered. _

"_Kid, that's nothing new." _

"_She's all red in the bathroom."_

_The old lady paused in the doorframe. "Red how?" _

"_Her arms. It's sticky and it smells bad." _

_The old lady finally noticed the blood all over the side of the girl's pants. "Shit." She whispered. "Go into the living room, take those pants off and sit on my couch. Stay here." The girl did as the old lady said. She stayed still long after the old lady came back into her house looking horrified. She stayed still when the police came and talked in whispers, glancing over at her every few minutes. She stayed still as the old lady gave her a new pair of pants to put on, after she gave her food, and while the police talked to her. The police just watched. It was unnatural how still the little girl remained. _

* * *

><p>Emily woke up with a pounding in her head that didn't go away after her forth cup of coffee. There had been no new leads all morning. The team had been scoping through file after file on performers, club workers and regulars at the club. By the afternoon, they had interviewed at least one family member or friend of all six murdered women and had contacted the families from the previous six to find any connection.<p>

"They're all women in their early to mid twenties, all brunettes, and all performers in some way or another. Or at least involved behind the scenes in some way." JJ said. "He's got to be involved in some way as well, a fan wouldn't have the access to all of them, most of them weren't even that big."

Hotch nodded, agreeing with her and told Garcia to focus on men involved in show business surrounding the women. Everyone was spent and frustrated, with twelve murders there should be more evidence, but it seemed like he only got better and better with each kill. "I hate to say it but..." Morgan trailed off.

"We kind of need something new to go on." Rossi finished for him solemnly. Emily watched JJ look down at her hands, needing someone else to die, to save them was a catch-22 that pissed her off and Emily could tell. She was determined to find something now.

"We need to talk to other performers. See if they noticed anything." She stated.

"We already did." Morgan said.

"Only a few, it can't hurt to try more."

Hotch nodded. "JJ, you and Emily head out, Reid and Morgan, take the rest, Rossi, you and I will keep going over victimology." Everyone nodded and stood up to take on their tasks. "Meet back her by nightfall if you don't get anything sooner."

JJ leaned her head against the window and remained silent the first ten minutes of the car ride. "Jen?" Emily prodded.

JJ rolled her head over. "Hum?" She murmured.

"What're you thinking?" Emily asked softly.

"That this case sucks."

Emily chuckled softly. "All of them kinda do, but I agree, this one has a bit more suck to it." Emily smiled as JJ laughed at Emily's wording. She took pleasure in being able to cheer her wife up through these cases, even if sometimes only momentarily. "We'll figure it out. We always do eventually."

"Yeah, but how many more women have to die before we do?"

Emily sighed and turned her gaze back to the road. She didn't have an answer to that question and JJ knew it. "Let's just get as much out of these people as we can." She said, trying to remain optimistic.

"Kay." JJ whispered as Emily pulled the car to a stop. "Can I have a kiss first?" JJ asked with a small smirk. Emily grinned and happily leaned over. "Thank you." JJ smiled.

"Anytime, JJ, anytime." The two women climbed out of the SUV and shared a look. "You ready?" Emily asked. JJ nodded and the profilers walked up to their first address. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><em>The old lady pinned the note to the girl's jacket. "He's your father. The note says so. He'll take care of you." She straightened the girl's jacket, and flattened down her frizzy curls the best she could, then sighed. "I'm sorry about your mom kid, its a tough break. I hope you have a good life." The girl watched as the woman rang the doorbell, then walked down the steps and back into the cab. She gave a light wave as the yellow car pulled away. The girl frowned. A man opened the door and stared at her. She looked back down at her shoes. <em>

* * *

><p>"He's probably got a job that gives him easy access to performers." Reid said to Morgan as they stopped to grab some lunch before interviewing more people. It had been a long morning and they were both starving. "Maybe a stage manager?"<p>

"Could be, they oversee a lot and have access to lots of different records, but we would see a name that showed up. None of the people seem to have any one person in common, not like were looking for." Morgan responded, digging into his sandwich.

Both men were silent for a few moments, eating and thinking about all of the information they had so far. "What about a performer?"

"We thought of that but none of the names..."

"A stage name! He could be changing it."

"Why would he do that? Half of this industry relies on the name, you need to make people remember you, if he kept changing his name, that would never happen."

"But what if he wants to remain anonymous? He could be talented enough to get him through the doors, maybe he doesn't need to rely on a name. He wouldn't care so much about being recognized."

"Reid, these guys almost always want recognition." Morgan reminded the scrawny profiler.

"He has it, the symbol is unique to him, he's talented, he wants to remain anonymous enough to slip in make his kill and then leave."

Morgan shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. "Its an idea." He agreed. "Let's go finish these interviews then bounce it off Hotch." Reid nodded and stood up to throw his food away, then the two men climbed back into their SUV and got back to work.

* * *

><p><em>The man made her practice everyday. No matter if she was hungry, tired, or in pain. She had to keep going, she had to be perfect. She never smiled unless they were preforming. He had made sure she remembered to smile onstage. By the time she had been living with him for almost six months, she had his favorite routine down perfectly. That only gave him the incentive to push her harder. They would dance on the street, people gave them money and all gushed over the adorable curly-haired little girl. She heard people say she was 'the next Shirley Temple'. The girl didn't know who that was, but the people smiled as they said it, so it made her feel good. The girl liked preforming but she hated practicing. The man yelled the steps at her. He came over to her and jerked her body around until it was in the right position and if she got a step wrong he grew very angry. If he got mad enough, he would hit her. Sometimes it was just a slap, which always hurt, but she preferred that to the other things. <em>

_When she got to go on her first big stage and dance with him, all the grown ups stood up and clapped for her. She smiled even though the man hadn't told her too. _

_When they were done with a performance, the man would make her go back to whatever hotel they were staying at. He would stay out late and come home angry. The girl knew what blood was now, and she smelled it on him when he came back sometimes. It made her nauseous, and it made her think of the woman. The girl didn't like thinking of the woman, it made her sad. _

"_Are we dancing tonight?" She asked the man. Ever since her sixth birthday he let her do some of her own tap routines. She loved dancing by herself. Sometimes, nice women would come up and hug her and tell her she was adorable. One time, she followed one home and asked if she could live with her. When the man found them, he got madder than the girl had ever seen him. Instead of slapping her, he punched her and she fell down crying. The woman yelled and told him she would call the police. The girl hoped she would, but he stopped her. _

* * *

><p>"And what was his name?" JJ asked the man across from her. He was their last interview for the day and she couldn't wait to get back to their hotel room and take a hot shower.<p>

"Frankie I think. Real weirdo, fantastic tapper. I mean he could make it big, dunno why he never seemed to care though. His kid was awesome."

"Sorry, his kid?" Emily asked.

The scruffy man on the couch picked at a hole in his jeans and nodded. "Little girl, cute kid, real weird too though. She never talked. Might'a been mute or something." He shrugged. "She never looked anybody in the eye either, just followed him around like a sad little puppy. She could fucking dance though! Oh shit, sorry, freaking dance." He said. JJ nodded him off and shared a look with Emily.

"What was her name?" Emily asked.

"Hum...dunno, everybody just called her the kid. I never really heard him talk to her. Like I said, weirdos."

"How old was she would you say?" JJ asked.

"Little, tiny kid, maybe like five or six? Look I really didn't pay much attention to her, I was focused on my music and chicks. Not ones under four feet."

JJ grimaced and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can you describe them with as much detail as you can remember? Its important. Hair color, complexion, etc."

"Uh, sure, brown hair, both of 'em, curly. Kid had sorta short hair, like 'round her shoulders. Pale, the kid had lots of freckles, blue eyes I think for them both. They looked a lot alike. He was a skinny guy, but you could tell he was fit ya know, guy could take a punch. The kid was tiny. They preform all over, I've seen 'em more than once, but they change up their stage names. Dunno why, stupid ass thing to do, but I know the guys real name is Frankie."

"Do you know his last name?" Emily asked. The boy shook his head. "Nah, its irish or something I think though."

"Any of his stage names, or the places you've seen them preform?" JJ asked.

"Yeah sure."

Leaving the man's apartment, Emily and JJ both let out a collective sigh of relief. The man fit the description they were going for, admittedly, it wasn't much, but right now, it was something. They drove back to the station quickly to relay what they found with the team.

"Hey." Reid greeted them as they arrived. "I've been thinking, it might be a performer, he could be changing up his stage name to blend in."

JJ and Emily shared a look. "What is it?" Hotch asked. "You don't agree?"

"No..." Emily said, sitting down next to Reid. "We might have your guy." JJ and Emily explained what they had learned – and already told Garcia – for the next few minutes. "It might be a long shot, but its definitely worth looking into at this point." Emily finished.

"We already called Garcia and gave her everything to look for, she said she'd get back to us if she found anything." JJ said.

"Okay, good work. Let's get some sleep and start fresh in the morning." Hotch told the team. All exaughisted, they happily complied.

* * *

><p><em>The man was worried. Everything the girl did made him angry. He had come back to the hotel two nights ago covered in blood and yelling. When she tried to pretend to be asleep, he picked her up out of the bed and threw her into the tub. Turning the water on scalding hot, he held her in it while she cried. <em>

"_It's burning me!" She whimpered. _

"_Then you should behave!" He screamed at her. "You made this happen! You should have left that woman alone!" _

"_She said I was pretty. She was just being nice to me. Why can't I talk to people?" _

"_Because I said so." He shoved her hard and stomped out of the bathroom. The girl didn't dare get up in case he was going to come back. After half an hour, the water finally cooled down to a comfortable, normal warm bath. The girl slowly climbed out, whimpering at the movement and peaked into the bedroom. The man was asleep. The girl went back to the tub and drained it. She gently pealed off her clothes and held back her cries at her burned skin. Turning the water to cold, she climbed back into the tub, crying silently. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for your feedback so far:) Hope you continue to enjoy!**

"Okay my lovelies, your guy is a one Frankie Gallagher. He was a very well known tapper as a kid, danced in a bunch of theaters and concert halls. He kind of fell out if the dance scene in his late teens, and got into a little bit of trouble with the law. A couple of breaking and entering charges – mostly in houses that had yet to be sold – his mother was a realtor. He also got caught setting a couple of fires when he was around thirteen, but he seems to have lost his urge to set things aflame as there are no hints of anything since than. He was also charged with assault of a sixteen year old girl, Tammy Walters when he was seventeen. He's bounced around a lot of odd jobs over the years, fired a couple of times, quit suddenly etc."

"What about the girl? Does he have a daughter?" Emily asked. She and the team were sitting around a table in the police station. Emily shared a look with JJ, who was sitting on top of the table next to her.

"See there's the thing...I don't have any record of him being a father, I checked within six years and his name was never listed on any birth certificates."

"So he doesn't have a daughter?" JJ asked.

"Now I didn't say that my lovely blue eyed girl, I said there isn't much of a record of it. However, since I am awesome, I dug around a bit."

"And?" JJ asked with a smile.

"And, Frankie is definitely a papa. A young girl, Rachel Gallagher has been living with him for three years. Now, this poor beautiful little girl has had an awful life crammed into her short seven years. Her mother, Clara, was severely depressed; and by that I mean was on so many depression meds she was practically popping one every minute. I've got a couple of accounts of social services popping in on them. It seems she had some issues taking care of Rachel with her depression. The girl was left alone a lot, social services was going to remove her from the home when she was a little over one, but apparently, Clara got some new meds and was doing a lot better."

"So why isn't she with the mom now?" Reid asked.

"Well, this is where it gets sad, the meds didn't work I guess, Clara killed herself when Rachel was four. The neighbor next door said that she would feed Rachel more than Clara did, and Rachel came over to her house and said her mom was, and I quote, 'covered in red and wouldn't get up off the bathroom floor."

"She found her?" Emily asked, horrified.

"Yeah, from the state of the body when the police arrived, she killed herself early in the morning and they found her around nine that night. Rachel sat with her on the floor waiting for her to wake up for hours."

"Oh god." Morgan said, dropping his head in his hands in frustration.

"I'm not done." Garcia said solemnly. "According to the mother's suicide note, Frankie Gallagher is Rachel's father. The neighbor volunteered to take her to Frankie and she's been with him since. They've moved around a lot, Rachel doesn't seem to be enrolled in school and she dances with him a lot. There are a couple of videos on youtube, I sent one or two to your phones, there aren't any other pictures of her I could find that were recent."

"Thanks Garcia."

"Also, I'm sending a picture of Clara to you right now, she bears a striking resemblance to our twelve victims."

"We need to talk to Frankie. Garcia do you have a current address?" Hotch asked.

"See that's the thing, no, he's not listed anywhere for the last couple of years, but he crops up everywhere mostly in motels and such. He doesn't seem to pay with credit card very often, the man likes cash, but his last charge was at a hotel down in Harlem. The address is being sent to your phones as we speak."

"Thanks Garcia." Morgan said, hanging up the phone.

"Alright, lets go." Hotch told the team. They donned their vests and split up between two SUVs. Hotch, Emily and JJ in one, Morgan, Rossi and Reid in another, with local NYPD following behind. As the pulled into the hotel Hotch informed the front desk what they were doing. The woman told him that Frankie was staying in room 204 and the team headed out. Emily was right on Hotch's tail, gun drawn, JJ right beside her. Hotch knocked on the door. "Frankie Gallagher, FBI, open up!" The team waited a moment, hearing shuffling behind the door. "FBI OPEN UP!" Hotch yelled again. After a moment, he nodded to Morgan, who kicked in the door. Emily heard a small squeal and she turned toward it. There appeared to be no one in the room.

"Clear." Morgan said, checking the bathroom.

"Here too." Hotch announced.

"Wait!" JJ said, crouching down beside one of the beds. "Hi sweetie, my name's Agent Jareau, can you come on out?" Emily quickly holstered her gun and went over by JJ. The tiny girl was cowering under the bed, refusing to come out.

"We're the police sweetie, we're here to help you." Emily said warmly, crouching next to JJ. The girl looked back and forth between them, tears welled up in her eyes. JJ held her hands out and the girl tentatively crawled into them. JJ held her tightly and easily picked the small girl up. Emily followed her out of the hotel, while the rest of the team searched the room. JJ opened one of the backseat doors and tried to set the girl down but she clung to JJ frantically.

"Okay, okay." JJ said. She shifted the girl and sat down herself, setting Rachel in her lap. Emily stood by, leaning on the car to make herself look less threatening. "Your name is Rachel right?" JJ asked softly. The girl nodded, not looking either woman in the eye.

"Well Rachel I'm Agent Jareau, but you can call me JJ, and this is Agent Prentiss."

"But you can call me Emily." Emily said with a smile. "How old are you Rachel?" She asked. Rachel held up seven fingers.

"Rachel, did your dad say when he was coming back?" JJ asked.

"No, he never does." Rachel whispered, looking down at her hands. Emily and JJ caught each other's eye and both frowned. Hearing the team behind her, Emily turned around and nodded to Hotch. Clearly, they're wasn't much worth seeing in the hotel room.

"Hey Rachel, we're gonna take a little drive down to the police station okay?" JJ asked the small girl in her lap. "We can get you some food and ask you a couple of questions is that alright?"

"He'll be mad. I'm supposed to stay here." Rachel said quickly. Emily and JJ noticed it sounded very rehearsed.

"Its okay Rachel, you're helping us, he won't be mad." Emily said, sliding into the backseat next to JJ.

"No he will." Rachel insisted.

"We won't let him hurt you Rachel." JJ said firmly. Rachel looked up at her and stared into JJ's eyes. It made her feel very vulnerable, but she didn't look away. After a second, Rachel nodded and slid down onto the seat between Emily and JJ. As they drove, Rachel didn't look at anyone, just kept her gaze fixed down at her hands.

When they arrived at the station, Emily helped Rachel out of the car and took her hand, leading her inside. They took her into one of the interview rooms for families.

"Why don't you two talk to her, she seems to trust you. Bring her some food." Hotch said to Emily and JJ. Emily nodded and took the sandwich and cookies from Hotch. Looking to JJ, Emily took a deep breath and walked into the room. The cases involving children made her stomach turn. Rachel was sitting exactly as they left her; at the table, looking down at the floor. She didn't even flinch as Emily and JJ sat down. JJ sat next to Rachel with Emily across from her, so she didn't feel closed in. Emily saw the little girl eyeing the sandwich and pushed it forward with a smile.

"We've got some cookies too. Do you like chocolate chip?"

"I dunno, I've never had them."

"You've never had chocolate chip cookies?" JJ asked, baffled. Rachel shook her head. The two women let her eat for a few minutes, she practically inhaled it, clearly starving. "Rachel, I heard you are a pretty fantastic dancer." JJ said to her with a small smile. Rachel bit her upper lip and shrugged.

"Do you dance with your dad?" Emily asked. Rachel nodded and continued eating. Emily shared a look with JJ, they wouldn't get anywhere if Rachel wouldn't talk to them. "Rachel, does your dad leave you alone a lot?"

"Yeah. I make him mad."

"Does he say that?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." Rachel finished her sandwich and eyed the cookies, but made no attempts to take one. JJ smirked at Emily and took one of the cookies. Emily mimicked her, and they both made exaggerated comments at how good the cookies were. Rachel watched them with great interest.

"Want one?" Emily asked.

"Can I?" Rachel whispered shyly.

"Of course." Emily handed her one and the little girl began nibbling on it. Her smile grew as she ate the cookie and Emily grinned at JJ.

"So Rachel, you and your dad move a lot huh?"

"Yeah, everywhere we go to dance, he doesn't like living in one place."

"Has he been acting any differently lately?" Emily asked.

"He's madder." Rachel said with a shrug. "He comes home with blood more than he used too."

Emily and JJ looked at each other, horrified. "What?" JJ asked. "What do you mean?"

Rachel shrugged. "I know what blood is. I saw it on my mom, if it comes out of you, you die." Rachel said matter of fact. Emily swallowed and bit her lip. "Does my daddy kill people?" Rachel asked, finally looking up at them. JJ looked at Emily, in shock and horrified. Emily didn't quite know how to respond to that question.

"Umm, why do you ask that Rachel?"

"He hurts me, and I've seen him hurt other people." Rachel whispered. "Its my fault."

"No, Rachel, nothing he does is your fault." JJ insisted. She tried to reach out and rub Rachel's arm to comfort her, but Rachel flinched and moved away quickly. A little hurt, JJ collected herself. "Rachel. None of this is your fault." She repeated.

"Rachel, when you said he hurts you, what did you mean?" Emily asked softly. Rachel just shrugged and tucked her knees up to her chest. Emily noticed scabs all over them. "Like that?" She asked pointing. Rachel nodded into her knees and kept her gaze down.

"Do I have to go back with him?" Rachel whispered.

"No." JJ said firmly. "We'll make sure that doesn't happen. Okay?" Rachel rolled her head over on her knees and looked JJ in the eye for the second time that day. It made her feel just as vulnerable as it had the first time, but again, she held the little girl's gaze. Rachel nodded, seeming to believe JJ. "Rachel, we do need your help though, you said you've seen him hurt other people, can you tell us about that?"

"He hurt a lady. It was my fault." Rachel said as she began to cry.

"Rachel, I told you..." JJ began, but Rachel cut her off.

"No this _was_ my fault! She was nice and I thought maybe I could live with her instead, so I followed her home. He found me and he knocked me to the ground, she said she was gonna call the cops but he had a knife. He...he cut her all up and she was crying and then she stopped. And then he..." Rachel trailed off and hugged her knees tighter. "It was_ my_ fault."

* * *

><p>JJ was shaking with fury. "He beat her Hotch, she's got huge scabs on her knees and her skin is burned. He holds her in a scalding hot bath, he's killed in front of her."<p>

"We'll contact DCFS." Hotch told her. "She'll be alright."

"How?" JJ asked with an angry shrug. Hotch looked at Emily. "Don't do that!" JJ yelled.

"Do what?" Emily asked her wife.

"That stupid wordless conversation thing you two do about me. I am right here." JJ spat at them furiously. Emily bit her lip as JJ stalked off angrily.

"I'll talk to her Hotch." Emily said.

"No, its fine, this case is getting to all of us. Was Rachel helpful? Does she have any idea where to find him?"

"She said he always comes back. We should get back to the hotel and wait."

"Okay, tell everyone to get their gear."

Emily nodded and walked over to the team, relaying the information. She kept an eye on JJ as they put on their vests. Her wife was staring at the room Rachel was sitting in with a female police officer. Emily followed her gaze and sighed at the dejected look on the small girl's face. She couldn't understand how anyone could hurt that sweet little girl. Sometimes, Emily hated her job. The drive back to the hotel was quiet, everyone full of anticipation and adrenaline. Hotch stationed Morgan, Emily and Rossi inside to wait, while he Reid and JJ stayed out of sight outside, waiting for Frankie Gallagher to arrive. Emily was quiet as she sat on one of the beds, her gun in her hands, ready to be drawn at a moments notice.

"Prentiss, you okay?" Morgan asked.

"Huh?" Emily looked up. "Oh, yeah fine. Just,.. I can't wait for this case to be over."

"You and me both."

"Its just...that poor kid." Emily said, noticing a teddy bear on the floor. She picked it up and grimaced at the torn cloth. There was tears and blood on the stuffed toy. Angrily, Emily threw it back to the ground.

"People are sick." Rossi said angrily. "Social services will get her a good family. She's still young, she could be okay."

Emily nodded, but somehow she didn't believe him. Hearing a noise, she stood up quickly and drew her gun, Morgan and Rossi mimicking her. The agents could hear the key turning in the latch and waited. Frankie turned on the light and yelled at the sight of them.

"FBI! Mr. Gallagher, put your hands where we can see them." Morgan yelled out. Frankie took one look at the three of them and turned around to run.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you." Hotch said, coming up behind him and pointing his gun at Frankie's head. "You've pissed off one of my agents a great deal, and she's our best shot. I wouldn't give her the excuse, trust me she'll take it, and I'll let her." Hotch practically growled, nodding to a very angry looking JJ. Frankie glared at her but put his hands behind his head. Morgan and Rossi moved in to cuff him and shoved him into the car. "Come on everyone, its late, lets all get some sleep, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p>JJ was silent as she walked back to her room with her wife. She couldn't get the image of the social service worker talking to Rachel out of her head. Rachel had looked terrified. When she glanced up and saw Emily and JJ she only seemed sadder. Sighing, JJ quickly changed and climbed into bed, Emily right behind her.<p>

"Hey, talk to me. We got him Jayje." Emily whispered.

"I know, but...her mother killed herself and her father is a killer, its just not fair."

"No, no its not."

"I hate this."

"Me too."

"I mean what's going to happen to her?"

"They'll find her a family."

JJ stared at the ceiling. As the idea popped into her head, she knew it was a little bit crazy, it also excited her to no end. "We could take her." She whispered so softly that Emily had to strain to hear her.

"What?" Emily whispered back, shocked.

JJ rolled over and looked at her wife. "We've been talking about kids for a little while, why not? We could love her. And I think we're uniquely qualified to understand a bit of what she's been going through."

Emily sat up a little. "Jen, are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Seriously? Because I've been the one talking about kids, you've been avoiding the subject or saying you're not ready every time I bring it up. What about not thinking you can be a good mother?"

"You don't think we could do it?" JJ asked, worriedly.

Emily grinned. "No, I've been saying all along you'll be an amazing mother. I just...I'm just surprised is all."

"But you want to?" JJ asked excitedly, sitting up to meet Emily. Emily bit her lip and thought about it. Truthfully, she could picture it, it made her smile to think about the little girl with JJ and herself. She wanted it. It was something she had always wanted, and she wanted it with JJ. She was realizing, she might want it with Rachel. Maybe this was the time.

Emily smiled. "Yeah. Yeah I do." JJ squealed and pulled Emily close and kissed her full on the mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you guys so much for your feedback so far, I'm glad you all seem to be liking it, hope you continue to enjoy:)**

Emily chuckled as she watched JJ bounce up and down on her toes, biting her lip in anticipation. Truthfully, she was just as nervous and excited, she was just better at hiding her emotions due to her upbringing. Emily slipped her hand into JJ's and squeezed it gently. JJ looked up at Emily and smiled sheepishly. "I'm excited." She admitted.

Emily grinned. "Me too."

Emily and JJ had woken up the morning after the case and met with the team down at the station to finish up some paperwork before heading home. They had told Hotch what they wanted first thing and contacted the DCFS worker that had been there the day before. Everyone was a little surprised, but once they realized how sure Emily and JJ were, they had their full support. After spending almost two hours talking to the social service worker Emily and JJ had filed to be foster parents of Rachel. Pending a background check, Rachel could come and live with them within a week or so. Emily was upset at the thought of the little girl having to spend a week in a group home, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Emily and JJ had went and talked to Rachel before they left to fly back home. The little brunette was sitting on a bed in a barren looking room. Emily gave Rachel a tiny smile and went to sit down next to her. JJ, seemingly unsure, stood in the doorway and watched them.

"Hi Rachel, do you remember us?" Emily asked gently.

"Yeah, Agent Emily and Agent JJ." Rachel answered, keeping her head down. Emily looked up at the blonde standing in the doorway.

"That's right." Emily said with a small smile. "Rachel, JJ and I were wondering if maybe you would want to come live with us?"

Rachel looked up at Emily unsure and confused. "For how long?"

"As long as you want." JJ said, moving down to sit on the other side of Rachel. "Social services needs us to fill out some paperwork and we can come back and get you in about a week. If you want. But we would really love it if you wanted to come live with us."

Rachel shrugged and turned her gaze back to the floor. Emily and JJ shared a look and bid her goodbye, promising to come back in a week. From the look on Rachel's face, it was clear that she didn't believe them. It had been harder to leave the little girl than they thought. Emily was surprised at how much she worried about her already. JJ had been edgy and agitated the entire week as they waited to hear back from the social worker. It was causing Emily to be just as stressed out, which in turn, set the entire team on edge. It had felt like the longest week of their entire lives. Every hour seemed to drag on slower than the one before it. When the social worker finally called and said they had been approved Emily heard JJ scream from all the way down in Garcia's office. Worried she glanced at Garcia and was about to bolt out of the room as JJ ran in flustered.

"WE GOT HER!" JJ yelled excitedly.

"What? Seriously?" Emily asked getting up out of her chair and moving over to JJ. JJ lunged herself at Emily and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"We got her." She whispered.

"Rachel?" Garcia asked. JJ nodded, releasing a very happy looking Emily slightly and beaming at her best friend. "OH MY GOD!" Garcia screamed and ran over to hug the two women. "You're gonna be mommies! I'm gonna be an aunt! Oh I am going to spoil this kid rotten, can I get her a tutu? Oh I can't wait! When does she get here?"

"We can get her tomorrow morning."

"Seriously? That soon?" Emily asked JJ. The blonde nodded excitedly, then quickly frowned.

"We don't have anything ready! We have to get her room set up! I'm going to ask Hotch if we can leave early." JJ ran out of the office without another word, leaving a stunned Emily and Garcia in her wake.

"This is going to be very interesting." Garcia said with a grin.

"Oh shut up." Emily laughed and went to go find her wife.

Hotch had given them the rest of the day off and they spent every minute of it getting ready for Rachel's arrival. They had been afraid to really get anything set beforehand, in case something fell through. Now that it was real, that Rachel was actually going to be theirs, both women were freaking out. It had been too difficult for both of them to fall asleep that night, they spent the entire time restless and frustrated. The flight had gone on forever, and Emily had bit her nails almost down to the nubs.

"What's taking so long?" JJ asked as they sat waiting for the social worker to bring Rachel down to them.

"Jen, we've waited a week, a few more minutes won't kill us."

JJ glared at Emily.

"Emily and Jennifer Prentiss?" A man said, standing in the doorway with Rachel. Emily and JJ leapt up and smiled at the shy brunette. As usual, she was looking down at her feet. Emily vowed to get her more comfortable with them as soon as possible.

"That's us." Emily said, shaking the man's hand.

"Its nice to meet you in person, I'm Charlie. Rachel's all packed and ready to go, I just need you to sign a few papers and you are all good to go." Charlie pulled the paperwork out for them and Emily and JJ quickly signed and initialed where he instructed while Rachel watched on curiously. "Congratulations." Charlie said shaking their hands. "We'll miss you Rachel, have a wonderful time okay?" Rachel nodded. Emily gently placed her hand on Rachel's shoulder and lead her outside and to their rental car.

"Shit, is she supposed to be in a car seat!" JJ whispered as they reached the car.

"She's seven."

"But she's tiny, isn't there a weight limit or something?" JJ asked worriedly. "Shit, we're already failing as parents!" JJ exclaimed.

"Jen!" Emily said grabbing JJ by the shoulders. "She will be fine for a twenty minute ride to the airport. I will drive more carefully than I ever have in my entire life. When we get home, we will check to see if she needs a car seat, and we'll get one okay?"

"Okay." JJ nodded. She looked into the car and saw that Rachel had climbed in and buckled herself. She was sitting patiently with her hands folded in her lap, her gaze forward, bitting her lip adorably. JJ noticed that it looked oddly a lot like how Emily did when she bit her lip; and it made her smile. "I'm freaking out a little." She admitted. "Why aren't you?"

"I am." Emily said with a smile. "I'm just better at hiding it."

"I hate you." JJ moaned.

"No you don't."

"No I don't." JJ agreed.

"Come on, let's get her home okay?"

"Okay." JJ mumbled. Emily climbed into the car and turned around, surprised when JJ climbed into the back to sit next to Rachel. "What?" JJ whispered. "If we get into an accident I can grab her." JJ insisted. Emily just shook her head and pulled out of the driveway. An extremely overprotective JJ was certainly going to be interesting.

Rachel was terrified of the plane. She had been fine as they boarded and took their seats, but once the plane began to take off, she began to shake and cry. "Rachel, sweetie its okay, JJ and I fly on planes all the time, its sort of like a ride."

"Yeah, here, take our hands, and if you get scared, you can squeeze them as tight as you need to." JJ said, holding her hand out for the girl.

"No, I'm okay." Rachel said, tucking her hands under her legs and setting her face with a grim look of determination. Emily and JJ glanced at each other over her head and sighed. They knew it would take time for Rachel to trust them, she had been let down by everyone she'd ever met so far. It wasn't just something she would get over in a few hours. Despite Rachel's fears, she calmed down considerably once they had leveled out and only grew a look of slight panic as they began their descent. Thinking quickly, JJ began pointing out bits of DC as they came into view, trying to distract Rachel. It worked, but the little girl was certainly eager to get off the plane as soon as possible.

Emily opened the apartment door, carrying Rachel's bag, she made a note to buy Rachel a lot more new clothes; the bag was practically empty. Rachel looked around the large apartment in wonder as JJ and Emily watching grinning.

"Want to see your room?" JJ asked.

"I get my own?" Rachel whispered, a look of complete shock on her face.

"Yup." JJ motioned for Rachel to follow her. "Come on, it's upstairs." Rachel followed shyly behind JJ with Emily trailing behind them. JJ opened the door and let Rachel walk in first. "We left the walls white for now, because we wanted you to be able to pick whatever color you want. We can paint it this weekend." Rachel slowly made her way around the room, taking everything in. Emily and JJ had filled it with some of their favorite books from when they were kids, new toys, and some new clothes in the closet. They hadn't wanted it to be bare, but they didn't want to get everything without knowing what Rachel liked first.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked. Rachel shrugged. Emily mashed her lips together and smirked at JJ. "Jayje? You hungry?"

"I'm starving." JJ said grinning over Rachel's head. The two women began to leave the room, and smirked at each other as Rachel trailed slowly behind. "So, what do you guys want?" JJ asked the brunette duo as she opened the fridge.

"What do you like Rachel?" Emily asked. Rachel stood in the doorway, silent, she simply shrugged. Emily sighed and looked to JJ, this was going to be a lot of work. "Do you have a favorite food?" Emily was met with another shrug. JJ closed the fridge and walked over to Rachel. She bent down and sat on her knees, looking Rachel in the eye.

"Rachel, I know you don't know Emily and I very well yet, but we want you to know that you can trust us. Okay?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded, but refused to look either woman in the eye. JJ bent over and placed a quick kiss on Rachel's head as she stood up; surprising both Rachel and herself. Instead of making a big deal out of it, JJ went back to the fridge and opened it up again. "How does spaghetti and meatballs sound?"

Rachel looked over to Emily and then to JJ, she nodded once and then looked back down at the floor. JJ glanced to Emily and smiled, it was a start.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you guys for all the feedback:) You are all awesome. **

Emily bit her nails and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe we should check on her again." She whispered.

"We've check sixteen times in the last three hours Em, she's been asleep every time." JJ whispered back. "And quit biting your nails."

Emily clapped her hands together to stop herself. Dinner had started off pretty well, Rachel sat patiently at the island counter with Emily as JJ cooked in front of them. She didn't talk much, but she answered most of their questions in some way or another. The two women didn't want to overwhelm Rachel, so they stuck to easy things; favorite colors, books, and just made casual conversation between themselves to make her feel normal.

"Do you know how to cook at all Rachel?" JJ asked. Rachel shook her head. "Emily is a horrible cook, if she ever offers you food and its not from a take out box, run the other way." JJ said leaning in to the young girl with a grin on her face.

"Hey!" Emily yelled in protest. "I am not _that_ bad."

"Yes she is." JJ said. Emily responded by throwing a towel at JJ's head. While she was laughing she turned and caught a tiny little smile appearing on Rachel's face. She caught JJ's eye and nodded towards the girl. Smiling as JJ lit up, seeing that Rachel was enjoying herself. "Want to learn Rachel?" JJ asked. Rachel looked at JJ shyly, shrugging her shoulders in a way that Emily and JJ were sure they would get very used to over the next few weeks. "Come here." JJ motioned. Rachel hesitated a moment, then slipped down off of her stool and went over to stand by JJ. "Do you think you can stir this for me?"

"I can't reach it." Rachel said in distress.

"Well that's an easy fix." JJ said glancing to Emily. Emily grabbed a stool and moved it over in front of the stove top. Without thinking much about it, she reached down and picked Rachel up, placing her on top of the stool. Rachel looked a little surprised at the contact, but quickly acted like she was fine. Getting on her knees she leaned over and listened intently to JJ's instructions. JJ watched as the curly haired brunette stuck out her tongue in determination and stirred the pasta. Emily stayed next to her watching closely so JJ could move around and finish dinner.

"This isn't so hard." Rachel said happily after a few moments. "Why can't you do it, you're bigger than me."

JJ snorted with laughter as Emily feigned being offended. "I can stir pasta." She protested. "Its full on meals that aren't exactly my specialty." Rachel bit back a tiny smile and then turned her attention back to her designated task.

As they sat down to dinner, Emily and JJ realized Rachel was not an expert at twirling pasta, and was getting more of it on her lap than her mouth. She was growing more upset by the minute. "I'm sorry." She cried.

"Sweetie, its fine." Emily said, trying to comfort her. "Here, we can cut it and you can use a spoon."

"I'm sorry." Rachel whimpered.

"You don't have to be sorry Rach, its not a big deal really." JJ said moving over to help. Emily began cutting up Rachel's pasta as JJ lifted her up out of the seat. "Here, we'll get you some new clothes while Em, cleans this up." She said with a gentle smile. Neither woman could have known, or anticipated how Rachel would react. The second JJ had lifted Rachel out of her seat, she began to cry and protest.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to! Please, I'm sorry." Rachel begged, a terrified, wild look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, please."

JJ instantly let go in shock and held her arms up in surrender. "Rachel, sweetie its okay." JJ looked at Emily in a slight panic as they both realized Rachel probably thought they were going to hit her or something. "Rachel, I spill stuff all the time, its not a big deal." She tried to calm her down. Seeing that it wasn't working, JJ thought fast. Grabbing her glass of milk, JJ poured it on herself. Rachel – and Emily – looked on at her in shock. Rachel stopped crying at just stared at JJ for a moment before turning her attention to Emily.

"She didn't mean it!" Rachel yelled to Emily. Horrified, Emily realized Rachel thought that Emily would hurt the both of them now. Taking a note from JJ, she picked up her own milk and poured it right over her head. Rachel didn't seem to know what to do now, she just looked back and forth from Emily to JJ, waiting to see what they would do next. Both women just smiled at each other and Rachel.

Emily bent down to Rachel's level before walking over to her so she didn't appear threatening. "Rachel, neither of us would _ever_ hit you or hurt you in any way. What your father did to you was wrong and it was not how a parent is supposed to act. You will be safe with us okay?" She spoke gently to the girl and looked up as JJ walked over to them and bent down next to Emily.

"Rachel, we know its going to take a little while for you to trust us, but Emily is right, we won't hurt you."

Rachel looked back and forth between them and seemed to calm down a bit – for now at least – and gave a quick nod.

"Okay, since we're all dirty anyway, lets just finish eating, sound good?" Emily asked.

"Okay." Rachel whispered. JJ held out her hand and after hesitating, Rachel took it and allowed JJ to lead her back to the table. They finished their dinner quietly, all a little on edge. Once they had finished, Emily offered to take Rachel upstairs to give her a bath. Knowing how her father had abused her with baths, she knew she would need to tread lightly. Emily lead Rachel to the upstairs bathroom and turned back to Rachel.

"Rachel, have you ever taken a shower or would you rather take a bath? It won't be too hot I promise." She said gently.

Rachel kept herself back in the doorway while Emily waited patiently for her answer, determined to give her all the time she needed. "I don't really like baths, is a shower hard?"

"Nope, very easy, I'll show you." Emily told her with a smile. She turned on the water and bent down to feel the temperature. "You can feel, decide how warm you want it okay?" Emily waited, staying where she was while Rachel slowly walked over to her. She stuck her little hand into the water. Emily had made sure it wasn't very warm as not to scare her.

"It can be warmer." Rachel whispered. "But not too hot!" She added quickly.

"No problem. See this little dial?" Rachel nodded. "You turn this and test it again."

"That's okay."

"Okay. Great!" Emily stood up. "How about you hand me those clothes and pop in, I'll turn it on in a sec." Rachel slipped out of her pants and t-shit and handed them out to Emily before stepping into the shower. "Now, this one is shampoo, and this one is conditioner. Do you know how to wash your hair yourself?" Rachel nodded. "Great, I'll leave the door open a tiny bit, so just yell if you need anything and I'll leave your pjs by the sink."

"Okay."

Emily turned the water on and waited while Rachel tested the temperature again, seeing that she was comfortable, Emily shut the curtain and went to find some pjs. She pealed off her milk covered t-shirt and dropped it – and Rachel's clothes – in the hamper on the way. After finding an adorable purple nightgown, she brought it back to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Rachel? Its me, I'm just setting the pjs in here. Do you need anything?"

"No." Rachel called back.

"Okay, call out if you do." Emily left the door open slightly again and went downstairs to check up on JJ. The kitchen was already clean. She laughed as JJ dropped the final dirty towels into the hamper.

"You left her alone! Emily, kids can drown in bathtubs!" JJ yelled as she began to run upstairs.

"Jayje..." Emily grabbed her arm and stopped her. "She's taking a shower, I just checked on her, she's fine."

"Ughh, _I_ need a shower." JJ reached up and touched Emily's milk covered hair. "And so do you."

"Yeah."

"You go take one in our bathroom, I'll hang around to see if she needs anything."

"Kay, I'll be quick." Emily ran upstairs and pealed off the rest of her clothes, jumping into the hot water and quickly washed her hair. It was probably the fastest shower of her life. She threw on an oversized t-shirt and ran back down the hall. JJ laughed at the sight of her.

"That was like a minute."

"Your turn." Emily said giving her a quick kiss. JJ took off just as fast as Emily.

"Agent Emily?" Rachel called.

Emily stuck her head in the door, "what do you need sweetie?" She asked. "And you can just call me Emily."

"Sorry, Emily, I don't know how to turn it off the shower part."

Emily showed her and held out a towel for Rachel to step into. The little girl started to slip, and Emily, quickly grabbed her and lifted her out of the tub. Setting her down on the foot-bath, Emily sat down on top of the toilet and pat dried the shivering girl. She was running the towel through Rachel's hair as JJ knocked on the door and came in.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" She asked while drying out her own hair.

"I'm cold." Rachel answered her. JJ laughed and handed over the pjs as Emily stood up to drop the towel in the hamper. Rachel got dressed than looked up at Emily and JJ. "Where's my toothbrush?" She asked.

"Oh, right here." Emily said handing it over. The two women walked Rachel to her bedroom and tucked her in. Clearly, it was not something Rachel was used to, but she let them do it. "Goodnight Rachel, we're just down the hall if you need anything." Emily said with a smile.

"Anything." JJ stressed, bending down to place a kiss on Rachel's head. "Even if you think its dumb, you won't bother us. Okay?"

"Okay." Rachel whispered.

"Good." JJ said with a smile. She got up off the bed and took Emily's hand, turning off the light, they gave Rachel a little wave and started to shut the door.

"Can you leave it open?" Rachel asked quickly.

"Oh sure, we'll leave the hall light on, bathroom's right down the hall if you need it okay?"

"Okay."

Emily and JJ begrudgingly walked back to their bedroom, exhausted. They were both realizing how tiring it was to have a child. Do to their nerves, each of them had went out to check on Rachel multiple times throughout the night. By around two am, JJ had decided they needed to go to sleep. Emily sighed and rolled over, curling up into JJ. JJ kissed her and wrapped her arms around Emily.

"We survived the first night." She whispered.

"One down, a million to go." Emily said back, causing JJ to laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry guys, I wanted this up a little earlier, but with work and christmas stuff...plus I was totally spoiling you with a chapter like everyday, that won't continue to happen (probably not) anyway, here is the 6th chapter! Hope you enjoy! To any jewish readers, Happy Hanukkah! I think I will have another update before christmas (or on) but in case I don't, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays, Happy plain old December. Cross your fingers for snow! **

Rachel woke up early. Her father had always liked to be up and checked out of their hotels and on to the next one first thing; so it had become routine for the little girl. The apartment was quiet, and Rachel wasn't sure what to do. Realizing she needed to use the bathroom, she finally crawled out of the warm bed and went to go look for it. Emily and JJ's door was closed slightly, so Rachel tip toed past it and into the bathroom. She couldn't find the light switch, so the curly haired girl opened the door a little to let in some light. Once she was done, she flushed the toilet and was going to head back to her room until someone came to get her. As she padded back down the hall, Emily walked up the stairs.

"Hey Rachel." She whispered. "You're up already?"

"I'm sorry, I had to go to the bathroom." Rachel whispered as she stepped back away from Emily. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by the profiler. Emily sighed, she hated having a little girl afraid of her.

"That's fine, I was just surprised is all. JJ is not an early riser, I'm usually all alone in the morning. Want to come downstairs and get some breakfast?" Emily asked with a smile.

Rachel bunched up the edge of her nightgown and twirled it around in her fingers. Emily waited patiently as the girl deliberated. "I thought Agent JJ said not to eat any food you cooked." She finally answered. Emily feigned being upset and laughed lightly as Rachel fiddled with her nightgown.

"Just JJ sweetie, you don't have to call her agent, and cereal I can handle, even some toast, plus we've got frozen waffles!" Emily motioned for Rachel to follow her so they wouldn't wake up JJ. "If you want pancakes or eggs however, that might taste a little funny, but for you, I'll try."

The duo reached the bottom of the stairs and Rachel trailed along softly behind Emily. "Can we have waffles?" She whispered, fearful to ask for anything. Asking meant you cared, and things that you cared about always got taken away.

"Yes we can!" Emily said in a cheerful voice. "Pop up at the table and I'll get them." Emily got the waffles out of the freezer and poured her second cup of coffee as she waited for them to pop up out of the toaster. Emily bent forward over the table and sipped her coffee. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked. Rachel nodded shyly and continued to fiddle with her nightgown. "JJ and I have off work today, is there anything special you want to do?" Emily turned to get the waffles as Rachel gave her normal shrug of an answer. Emily was determined to get her to speak freely with them, she just wasn't quite sure how to go about it. "We could go shopping? I sort of hate shopping, but JJ and Garcia love it and can't wait to get you a bunch of stuff for your room. Some new clothes, books, whatever you want." Emily placed the plate of waffles in front of Rachel and went to get maple syrup for herself. "Do you like syrup or no?"

"Yes please." Rachel whispered. Emily smiled and gave her a significantly large amount of syrup, doing the same to her own waffles, she sat down next to the little girl and dug in. Rachel ate mostly in silence, which Emily was learning to expect, so she just chatted on about anything that popped into her head. Emily figured the more she talked to the girl, the more Rachel would grow comfortable with her. When they were finished, Emily dropped the plates into the sink and grinned at Rachel.

"What'd you think? Should we go force JJ awake?" She asked Rachel.

"Does she like to sleep?"

"Oh god yes." Emily laughed.

"Than we can let her sleep." Rachel said seriously.

"Well isn't that nice of you, I usually bother her until she wakes up and keeps me company. Maybe you're gonna be a good influence on me."

Rachel gave Emily a tiny smile, and fidgeted with her nightgown again. "How come you don't have to work?" She asked after a minute. Emily motioned for Rachel to follow her to the couch and plopped down. Rachel sat as far away and into the corner as she could.

"Because our boss, Agent Hotchner, do you remember him?" She asked. Rachel nodded. "Well, he gave us a few days off to get you settled in."

"Oh." Rachel turned away from Emily and stared out the window. Emily had been adamant for JJ to move in with her, she didn't want to give up the view of DC. It was the reason she had gotten the apartment in the first place. She smiled as Rachel's eyes glazed over and she began leaning on the couch. Clearly, she didn't sleep all that well, or she was still tired. Emily didn't move, she just sat there sipping her coffee and waiting. After a few more minutes, Rachel appeared to be out cold. Emily silently got up, poured another cup of coffee and carried it up to her room. The bed was empty, Emily could hear the shower running in the adjoining bathroom and set the mug on the bedside table. She went back downstairs to find Rachel exactly as she had left her. Emily grinned and gently bent down to pick the tiny girl up. She was very light and Emily shifted her a little biting her lip as Rachel curled herself into Emily. God she was adorable. Emily slowly carried her back upstairs, this time, seeing JJ happily sipping her coffee, hair wet, back in bed.

JJ's face lit up when she noticed the two brunettes, she waved Emily into the bedroom. "She fell back asleep, I'm just gonna put her back in bed, then I'll be right back." Emily explained.

"No, put her in here." JJ whined, jealous that Emily had already had over a whole hour with the little girl so far.

"Jen, it might freak her out. She was still really hesitant around me when I got her breakfast." Emily said warily. As much as she wanted to just cuddle with Rachel and hug her 24/7, she knew the girl was nowhere near ready for that.

"She'll be asleep." JJ protested.

"When she wakes up..."

"Em, how is she gonna get used to us if we don't let her?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

JJ frowned. "Fine, put her in her room."

Emily sighed. _Shit_. She thought. "No, Jen, I can put her in here..." She started to say. JJ cut her off.

"No, you're right, I'll freak her out, put her in her room." JJ picked up the remote and turned the tv in their room on, ignoring Emily.

Emily licked her lips in frustration and carried Rachel back to her room. She gently placed her down into the bed, and tucked her in. She headed back to her bedroom to find a still sulking JJ. Emily sighed and climbed back in, trying to hug the blonde, but her wife was not having it. "Jen, I'm sorry."

"Its fine."

"You're not acting like its fine."

"Well it is." JJ responded curtly.

"Fine." Emily said, rolling away and picking up the book she had left the night before. She heard JJ huff in frustration and not a full minute later, JJ had rolled over, threw Emily's book out of her hands, and climbed on top of the brunette.

"I'm sorry." JJ said, giving her wife a kiss. "I'm freaking out about this whole mother thing and I'm gonna be a little crazy for a while."

"JJ, I'm freaked out too."

"I know! But, you're better at it!"

"What? How?"

"You just are, kids feel safe with you."

"She certainly doesn't. Jayje, she doesn't feel safe with anyone, she barely looked at me the whole time I got her breakfast. She doesn't feel any more comfortable with me than you. Its gonna take time."

JJ sighed and flopped herself down onto Emily, her chin resting on the brunette's shoulder. "I hate this. I hate her mother, I hate her father, how could her hurt her? God I wanted to put a bullet in his head."

"Yeah, I'm with you there." Emily agreed. Both women were silent for a few moments, just enjoying having time to actually lounge around in bed rather than rush off to work. "I was thinking, we should probably have her talk to a psychiatrist, someone who specializes in childhood trauma. We're gonna need help, or some sort of guidance, she is going to need more than the average kid." Emily said after a while.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too, and I want to take her to a doctor and get her checked out. Make sure that she doesn't have any lasting injuries. God, we also need to get her a dentist, and school, and figure out what we're gonna do when we go back to work."

"I have an idea, which I both like and hate." Emily said with a tight laugh.

"Hit me."

"One of us stays and works from here with Garcia while the other goes with the team. We can trade off case by case, at least until she feels comfortable with both of us. I would feel too guilty if both of us left. She's already got abandonment issues."

"That's a good idea. We should run it by Hotch." JJ said. She rolled off Emily slightly, thinking she heard a noise coming from down the hall. "Lets get all of the doctor, school, all that shit done today, then we can just get it out of the way."

"Okay." Emily agreed, getting up. JJ was eyeing the hall like a little kid looking for a christmas present. Emily just laughed. "Go get her, I'll get dressed and call the doctors to let them know we're coming. You and Garcia can go crazy getting her stuff once we're done."

JJ grinned and gave Emily a peck on the cheek as she ran out of the bedroom. Emily just shook her head and went to get ready. JJ had nothing to worry about, it was clear she already cared about the girl more than she realized.

JJ slowed down as she approached Rachel's half open bedroom door. Rachel was sitting up in her bed, fidgeting with her nightgown. JJ could smell urine, and Rachel looked like she had been crying. JJ quickly opened the door. "Hey Rach, you okay?" She asked gently. Rachel looked up at her in terror and began crying all over again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" She cried.

"Rachel, its fine. You just had an accident, tons of kids have them. I did." JJ quickly moved to the side of Rachel's bed and bent down to her level. "Its not a big deal. We'll get you cleaned up and wash the sheets, problem solved okay?" JJ said with a smile. Rachel nodded, but wouldn't look JJ in the eye. JJ reached her arms out and held them there, as if in question. She waited a second before Rachel – very slowly – moved into them and let JJ pick her up out of the bed. "Come on." JJ lead Rachel down the hall and started the shower for her. She let Rachel test the water more than once, and was satisfied as Rachel gave a little nod when it was warm enough. "Okay, you pop in and hand me that nightgown and underwear and I'll get them cleaned up okay? Emily is in our bedroom, yell if you need her, she'll hear you."

"Okay."

JJ headed back to Rachel's bedroom and got the sheets and blankets off the bed. Carrying them all down to the washer, she dropped them in and started it before finding a new set of sheets. On her way back upstairs she passed Emily.

"What're you doing?"

"She had an accident." JJ explained. Emily's face fell a little, realizing how embarrassing it probably was for Rachel.

"Crap."

"Yeah, she's taking a shower, I was gonna make her bed."

"Here, let me, you go get dressed." Emily said, holding out her arms. JJ handed off the sheets and quickly dressed and dried her hair. She headed back down the hall to find Emily waiting outside of Rachel's room. "She's getting dressed. I told her where we were going, she didn't look all that excited about it."

"Neither am I." JJ said with a pout. "In a way, I'm scared to know what's really happened to her that we don't know about."

"Yeah me too." Emily admitted. Both women quieted down as Rachel appeared behind the door. "Ready?" Emily asked with a smile. Rachel nodded and followed them downstairs. JJ handed her a light jacket that Garcia had bought the day before – bright pink – and matching sneakers – converse at Reid's request – to go with them. She had to admit, it looked adorable. The three of them piled into the car and JJ began worrying about car seats all over again, vowing to ask the doctor if Rachel still needed one. As usual, Rachel was quiet and JJ did all she could to get the little girl to talk. Her niece was a bubbly mile a minute talker and JJ wasn't used to such a quiet little thing. She had no idea what to do and it frustrated her.

* * *

><p>The pediatrician was their first stop. Rachel sat up on the chair and wriggled around on the paper cover, kicking her legs and clearly not happy to be there. Emily and JJ sat in the chairs next to her as they waited for the doctor.<p>

"Hi, I'm Dr. Peters." A woman in her late forties introduced herself as she walked into the door. Emily and JJ stood up to shake her hand. Emily had already explained the situation over the phone earlier. "So, you must be Rachel." She said addressing the pouting child. "How are you today?"

Rachel looked up and stared Dr. Peters in the eye; something that shocked both Emily and JJ. "If you try to poke me with a needle, I'll kick you." The seven year old said very seriously.

Emily and JJ had to bite back their laughter as they turned their attention to Dr. Peters. They were stunned, but this was definitely not the first time the doctor had received a threat like that from a child. She grinned at Rachel. "I'll do my best okay?" She asked. Rachel crossed her arms against her chest and huffed. Dr. Peters just smiled. "Okay, moms are you gonna stay in here with us, or head out into the waiting room?" Dr. Peters asked casually. Emily looked to JJ, both of them clearly not about to leave Rachel alone anywhere anytime soon. Dr. Peters had seen that protective look on parents many times. "Stay here than." She agreed with a nod, before either woman had even spoken up. "Have a seat." She said motioning for Emily and JJ to sit down. She sat in a stool of her own in front of Rachel. "So, Rachel, do you remember the last time you went to a doctor to have a check up?"

"No. But I got stuck with a needle. I don't want to do that again."

"Well, we might have to update your shots, but I'll check. If we do, I have the best person to do it, he's like magic, you never feel it."

Rachel did not like the sound of that one bit, and began to fidget and bit her lip. Emily could see tears welling up in her eyes. _Shit._ She thought. _We're gonna traumatize her already. _Looking to her wife, the blonde was clearly having the same thought. Dr. Peters got through everything quickly, checking Rachel's throat, her spine, her weight, her hearing, her sight, and everything in between. After about half an hour, she asked Emily and JJ to step outside the room with her, telling Rachel they would be right back.

"I need to examine the rest of her, I see there are notes from the doctor who saw her previously in New York that she has been abused. But there wasn't anything mentioned about sexual abuse, is that a possibility?" She asked as gently as she could.

JJ tensed up immediately and grabbed her wife's arm. "We don't think so." She stated.

"We don't know much, she doesn't open up well, he used to put her in scalding hot baths and hold her in them, and he hit her, that's all we know." Emily said with a grimace.

"Right, well I will check her out, usually its easier for the children if their parents aren't in the room, but its up to you and Rachel."

"We can ask her." Emily said. Dr. Peters nodded, going to check on Rachel's old records for shots while Emily and JJ went back into the examination room. "Hey sweetie." Emily said walking up to Rachel.

"Can we go now?" Rachel asked instantly.

"Not quite yet, Dr. Peters has got to check a few more things."

"Like what? I don't want a needle okay!" Rachel stressed.

"Rachel, she needs to check to make sure that you're okay. To make sure that what your dad did to you is healing." JJ explained, bending down in front of Rachel. "She's gonna need you to take your clothes off and put on this gown so she can check your bruises."

"Why?"

"To make sure you're okay." JJ explained, looking up at Emily. She didn't know how to ask this next question. Her wife, always seeming to know what she needed, piped up.

"Rachel, there is another thing she needs to check. Did...did your dad, or anyone else ever hurt you, or touch you in your private parts?"

Rachel frowned. "Huh?"

"Down here." JJ said pointing.

"No." Rachel stated.

"Are you sure? Because its not something to be ashamed of, but we need to make sure you're okay." Emily said. Rachel shook her head furiously. "Okay, do you want us to stay in here with you while she checks you? Or do you want us to wait outside?"

"Outside."

Emily licked her lips and nodded, taking JJ's hand and pulling the reluctant blonde outside. Dr. Peters went in and the two women sat impatiently in the chairs. What felt like hours was really only about ten minutes and Dr. Peters came back out with a frown on her face. JJ jumped up immediately. "Did he hurt her? I'll fucking kill him." She practically growled. Emily waiting fearfully, trying to prepare herself for the news.

"No, sorry, no." Dr. Peters stressed. "There is no evidence of sexual abuse. I talked to her, and checked her out, she wasn't sexually abused. But she was physically abused, she's still got small burns on her legs and stomach and there are a few bruises that haven't quite healed. She's been through a lot. I think you're definitely right in wanting her to talk to a childhood trauma specialist. I was frowning because she needs a tetanus shot."

"Shit." Emily groaned.

Dr. Peters gave them a tight smile. "I wasn't kidding when I said I've got a great guy, Gerald is perfect for kids who are afraid of needles. She really does need it, surprisingly, everything else looks good and up to date. She's been through a lot, but physically, she is going to be fine." She said. Emily and JJ nodded in relief. "She's getting dressed, she's an intuitive little girl, I'm pretty sure she has figured out she needs a shot. Why don't you two head in and I'll get Gerald?"

"Thank you." JJ said. The second the two women opened the door and Rachel realized it was them she burst out into tears.

"Please don't make me get a shot!" She cried. "I'll be really good I promise."

JJ's heart broke as the little girl curled up into herself. With one look at her wife – who looked like she was ready to pick Rachel up and bust them all out of there in a second – she ran over to Rachel. "Sweetie, it has nothing to do with your behavior. You've been perfect so far, in fact, you could get a little wild on us if you wanted. The shot is to make sure you stay healthy."

"It will be over really quickly and we'll be here the whole time. When its over, we can go get some ice cream!" Emily said as she moved over next to JJ. All three of them looked up as a very tall, bald, handsome black man walked into the room beaming at them. Rachel squealed and lunged herself into JJ's lap – who was the closest – and clung tightly.

"Please don't give me a shot!" She cried. JJ was almost crying herself and looked back and forth from Emily to Gerald in desperation.

"You're name is Rachel right?" Gerald asked as he sat down on the stool in front of them. Rachel tightened her grip around JJ's neck and nodded, keeping her face tucked into JJ. "Is it true you're seven! I can't believe it you're so tiny!"

"I am." Rachel mumbled, her face still in JJ's neck. "And they have guns, they will shoot you if you hurt me, right?" She asked lifting her head up and looking to JJ and Emily in question. Emily couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness in Rachel's expression, the amusement and shock in JJ's and the terror in Gerald's.

"We do have guns, we're FBI agents." Emily explained to Gerald. "But we can't shoot him for that Rachel, he's not doing it to hurt you, he's doing it to make sure you don't get sick."

Rachel threw her head back into JJ's chest and cried again. Gerald smiled, having been through this scene many, many times. The gun thing was new, but the crying kid he could handle. He got everything ready and scooted closer to the trio. "Rachel, you don't have to look, you can stay in your mom's lap just how you are. All I need is your arm real quick, I promise, you won't even feel it."

"She's not my mom, my mom killed herself." Rachel said lifting her head up and looking at Gerald. All three adults froze at the matter of fact statement Rachel had just made. Rachel didn't seem to notice the effect her words had. She stuck her arm out – and her tongue – at Gerald and then turned back into JJ's chest, squeezing her eyes shut. Gerald, still shocked from the statement, got to work and took hold of Rachel's tiny arm. He worked his magic and when he was done, Rachel was still waiting for him to begin.

"All done!" He announced.

"Really?" Rachel asked, shifting her body around and looking at her arm in amazement.

"Yup, what color lollypop would you like?" He asked, holding up a bowl of tootise pops.

Rachel stuck her head down, biting her lip and contemplating her choices. It baffled JJ how much it reminded her of Emily. "Red please." She asked. "Red is cherry right?"

"Yes ma'am." Gerald said handing it over. "You are all set for the next ten years kiddo."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Awesome!" Rachel said with a smile as she jumped down from JJ's lap. "Can we get out of here now?" She asked, looking to Emily.

"Yes we can." Emily said with a laugh. She took Rachel's hand and lead her out of the examination room, giving Gerald a smile.

"Thank you." JJ said, shaking his hand and following behind.

"Not a problem, she's a cute kid."

* * *

><p>Rachel couldn't get the wrapper off of the lollypop and she was beginning to grow distressed and annoyed. As Emily caught her huffing and mashing her lips together in anger, she quickly reached over and took the sucker from Rachel. Opening it with ease and sticking the wrapper in her pocket in case she didn't finish, she handed it back over. JJ made her way over to the two of them looking very relived.<p>

"She doesn't need a full car seat, but Dr. Peter's recommended getting a booster seat, she's a little underweight."

"Okay, are we going to do all that today and the psychiatrist?" Emily asked as Rachel played around by a tree.

"I think maybe we've had enough trauma for one day, lets just shop and get lunch and try the shrink tomorrow."

"Oh thank god." Emily said with a sigh.


	7. Chapter 7

**I have never been to a shrink, I don't really know how they work, so this is all guesswork, suspend your disbelief:) **

JJ looked up and smiled as she caught sight of Emily and Rachel giggling over a toy. Rachel was trying to dodge out of Emily's reach as Emily poked her with some kind of teddy bear looking thing. JJ just shook her head and went back to looking through the clothes in front of her. She didn't get how easily it came to Emily to be able to make the little girl laugh or feel comfortable. If JJ was being honest with herself, she was still shaken up from the doctor's office. Having to hold Rachel while she begged for them not to give her a shot had made her feel awful.

JJ heard little footsteps running behind her and grinned as Rachel came to a stop right before sliding into the counter. "Look at this JJ!" She said with a bright smile on her face. JJ turned and looked down at the white fuzzy teddy bear in Rachel's hands. "Emily said we could get it if you say okay, its only twelve dollars and I have two!"

"If _I _say okay?" JJ asked Emily with a smirk. "Thanks Em."

"I didn't exactly put it like that, did I Rachel?"

Rachel shrugged. "I dunno, sorry, I don't need it." She turned to go put it back, dejected when JJ reached over and snatched it out of her hands and placed the teddy bear in the cart.

"We can get it." She said giving Rachel a smile. "Which shirt do you like?"

"The blue one." Rachel pointed, giving JJ a tiny smile of her own. She watched in awe as Emily and JJ went through clothes after clothes offering up choices. No one had ever just given Rachel this many things before, her mother barely left her bed, let alone shop, and her father simply couldn't have cared less. "I don't need all of this." Rachel said after a few minutes.

"But you can have it." JJ insisted. She wanted to give Rachel anything she asked for. Catching Emily's eye, JJ frowned. "Rachel, pick out one more shirt, and stay right there." JJ said as she stepped closer to Emily and raised her eyebrows in question.

"What's up Em, you're making that face."

"What face?" Emily asked. JJ made a face back to Emily and smacked her lightly on the arm. Emily sighed. "Its just...my parents gave me basically anything material I asked for, it didn't make me feel loved. I just...I don't want her to think we're trying to buy her love."

JJ sighed and shifted her weight from one foot to another. She glanced back over at Rachel, the little girl was currently playing Eeny, meeny, miny, moe between a green Tinkerbell shirt, and a blue Eeyore one. "I don't want to do that either, but she seems so afraid to ask us for anything, I don't want her to think she can't have things."

"She'll figure it out Jayje, its just gonna take time."

"Em, I am not a patient person." JJ said with a completely serious look on her face. Emily burst out into laughter, if nothing else than because it was true.

"What do you like better, Tinkerbell or Eeyore?" Rachel asked coming up behind them.

"Humm, Jayje?" Emily asked.

"I've always liked Eeyore, but I like Tinkerbell too, whatever one you want."

"Do you like Eeyore Emily?" Rachel asked.

"I do." Emily said with a smile.

"Okay, Eeyore please then." Rachel said pulling it off the shelf.

"Great, lets pay for this stuff and go home!" Emily said happy to be done shopping. Rachel agreed with her and began to run ahead to the checkout. "Rachel! Slow down!" Emily yelled out after her. Rachel instantly stopped and began walking slowly as she waited for them to catch up.

The three of them cashed out and headed to their car. Rachel wasn't exactly thrilled about the booster seat and began to pout as JJ set it up. "Rachel, its for your safety, and look its pink! That's pretty cool right?" JJ asked. Rachel crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the car, a frown planted on her face. "Rachel, please, you're too little to be safe in the car without one."

"I am not that little!" Rachel protested. JJ raised her eyebrows at Rachel as if to say 'really?'. Rachel deepened her frown and gave a little huff, but she climbed into the car seat and allowed JJ to show her how to buckle it in. The ride home was filled with silent and awkward tension. Rachel refused to talk to either Emily or JJ and was starting to feel pain from where she had gotten her shot. That, plus the fact that she was hungry and tired was making her cranky.

The three of them piled out of the car and carried the bags into the apartment. JJ started making sandwiches while Emily and Rachel unpacked Rachel's new things in her room. When they came down to eat, JJ was disappointed to realize that Rachel seemed to have shut down a bit. The giggly little girl from the store was gone, and she was quiet and moody. When Rachel was finished with her lunch, she asked if she could go play in her room. Rachel stayed up there all afternoon, only coming down when Emily went to get her for dinner. The little girl was just as quiet and unresponsive as she had been for lunch despite all of Emily and JJ's attempts. After putting her to bed, the two of them retired to bed themselves. JJ sat up twisting her hair around as Emily changed and climbed into bed next to her.

"We need to take her to the psychiatrist tomorrow." JJ said softly.

"I know, I called already, we've got an appointment for 2:30 tomorrow."

"Garcia and Morgan want to come over to see her too, but I told them I wasn't sure if she was ready yet."

"Maybe we can ask the shrink that. Her name is Dr. Yang. She's got really good references, I googled her."

"Okay." JJ said, rolling over on her side and turning off the light. She felt Emily wrap her arms around her and let her body sink into the brunette.

"Its only been two full days Jen, the only thing we can do is show her we'll be there until she believes it. It sucks, but we can't just flip a switch and erase seven years of neglect."

"I wish we could."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

><p>Rachel spun around in her chair. Emily, JJ and Dr. Yang were talking in the hallway. Every few seconds or so, one of them glanced over at her, Rachel had been ignoring them. She was sick of doctors, the last one had poked all around her body and then stuck her with a needle, she didn't have high hopes for this lady either. The seven year old kicked her legs and spun herself around faster and faster until she felt a little dizzy. Emily walked in and caught her mid-spin.<p>

"Hey." She greeted her. "So, we were thinking that you and Dr. Yang could talk for a while, and then JJ and I can come back in here and we can all talk. Is that okay with you?"

"Why do I have to talk to her?" Rachel asked as she spun the chair back and forth slightly in Emily's grip.

"You can tell her anything you want, its her job to listen to you."

"Yeah, but why?"

Emily sighed. "Because, Rachel what your mother and father did to you was not okay. And...we want to make you feel better about yourself, and..." Talking to a seven year old was a little more difficult than she anticipated. "We want you to feel okay talking about anything, with Dr. Yang, and with JJ and I."

"Okay." Rachel said with her signature shrug. She kicked her legs out and spun around, forcing Emily to step out of the way. Emily patted her head gently and went back out to the waiting room with JJ.

Rachel ignored Dr. Yang as she entered the room. She continued to spin around in her chair and kept her gaze down. Her curiosity got the better of her however, and every few seconds, she lifted her eyes up and glanced at the doctor.

"Hi Rachel." Dr. Yang finally greeted her.

"How come you didn't say hi until now?" Rachel asked. Pausing her spinning momentarily.

"You weren't looking at me then, I like to look at the people I talk to, if that's alright with you."

"Whatever." Rachel said as she resumed her spinning. After a few more silent minutes, Rachel grew bored with spinning around in a chair and looked at Dr. Yang. "Aren't we supposed to talk? That's what Agent Emily said."

"Why do you call her Agent Emily?"

Rachel shrugged. "She _is_ an agent, she has a gun, she and JJ catch bad guys." Rachel said nonchalantly. She spun around once and then stopped in front of Dr. Yang's desk. "They caught by dad." She stated while looking down at the floor. "But first, they came into our hotel room with guns. They scared me."

"Because they had guns?"

"I guess so."

"So they still scare you?"

"They don't have their guns around me. Only at work." Rachel pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Dr. Yang smiled softly. "I meant do Emily and JJ scare you anymore?" Dr. Yang asked. Rachel didn't meet her eye. She swiveled her chair back and forth and stared at the books behind the woman. Dr. Yang waited patiently while Rachel took her time to answer. "Rachel, I wanted to let you know, that nothing we say in here will leave this room. Do you understand what I mean by that?" Rachel shook her head. "It means that you can say anything, and I won't tell anyone, not even Emily and JJ if you ask me not to."

"Like a secret?"

"More like an agreement."

"Oh, okay." Rachel spun around again, wondering how long Dr. Yang would just sit there and watch her without talking. Rachel tried to spin until she said something, but she was getting dizzy and it was making her head hurt and she was bored. "I'm scared of everyone." She whispered softly after a while. "Not always the same amount though. Some people scare me more. Boys, grown ups, mostly grown ups. You're not so scary, but Emily and JJ are a little bit."

"How do they scare you?"

Rachel tucked her legs up indian style in her seat and leaned forward. "Well I,...its hard to explain."

"Just say it anyway that makes sense to you."

"Well, they're nice, but people who are nice to you for a while, sometimes get really mean."

"Like how?"

"My dad was nice – kinda – at first. He used to give me toys and stuff, and costumes for dances, but then he always got real mad."

"What would he do when he got angry?"

"Smack me or something."

"And you're afraid that Emily or JJ would hit you?"

"I don't know yet. I've only known 'em for a little while."

"Well, what do you think of them right now?"

"I already told you, they're nice." Rachel said as she kicked her legs out again and spun around. Dr. Yang made a note for every time she did that to avoid answering a question right away.

"Just nice?" Dr. Yang prompted. "Can you tell me anything specific?"

"JJ's a good cook, but Emily's not. Its kind of funny." Rachel hesitated in her chair. She wanted to get up and look at a book on the shelf, but she didn't want to make Dr. Yang angry.

"Is there something you wanted to look at?" Dr. Yang said, turning around. Rachel shook her head sheepishly and glanced down at the floor. "I've got a lot of books, you're free to look at any of them you like. Come on up."

Rachel glanced at Dr. Yang again to be sure that it was really okay. When she felt alright about it, Rachel stood up slowly and walked over to the shelf. She looked back at Dr. Yang again and received a nod of encouragement. Rachel turned back to the shelf and looked through all the titles, pausing on a few names she recognized but didn't know the stories of.

"Have you read any of these?" Dr. Yang asked. Rachel shook her head. "Do you like to read?"

"I'm not very good at it. My dad never let me have books around, we moved too much."

"Well, maybe Emily or JJ could help you?"

"I don't need their help, I can take care of myself."

"But why would you want to?"

"People don't hurt you so much if you don't really like them. I took care of myself when I was little. My mom was always sad."

"Yes, I've been told that. Do you remember your mother?"

"A little. She slept a lot, and she was sad. I just remember when she killed herself."

"Who told you that's what happened?"

"The police and my dad."

"Were you scared when you found her?"

"A little, but I was more confused. She slept all the time, so I just thought she was sleeping again. I got sad and scared later, when she didn't wake up. The police scared me a little." Rachel pulled a book off the shelf – Wizard of Oz – and looked at the cover. She opened the book and flipped through some pages before turning back to Dr. Yang. "Can we be done now?" She asked.

"Sure. If you'd like you can take that book out to the waiting room and look at it while I talk to Emily and JJ. Would you be willing to come see me again sometime?"

"I guess." Rachel answered as she carried the book over to the door and opened it. "She wants to talk to you." She said to Emily and JJ as they jumped out of their seats and walked quickly over to her. Rachel practically ignored them, and sat down, invested in her book.

Emily and JJ looked at each other a little confused, JJ looked back at the secretary to be sure she would keep an eye on Rachel. Receiving a nod from the woman, she followed Emily into the room with one last look at Rachel.

"Please have a seat." Dr. Yang said, motioning to the chairs in front of her. Emily and JJ sat down and took each others hands, waiting anxiously. Dr. Yang smiled at them. "You've got a very intelligent little girl there. The things you mentioned were mostly spot on however, she doesn't make much eye contact which is usually a sign that a child is uncomfortable, or afraid. She most definitely has trust issues, with everyone. According to her, even if people start out being nice to her, they eventually stop. Right now, she feels alright with you, but she's waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your experience with profiling gives you a great advantage, you would catch or understand things much easier than someone without your training. Right now, you're doing everything right. The only thing that will eventually reassure her is time. Its unfortunate, and frustrating, but it is really the only thing that will work. I do recommend that she continue to see me for a while, it might make the transition easier, possibly quicker."

"Is there anything specific we should be doing? Or looking out for?" Emily asked.

"Keep an eye out for what makes her shut down, and what seems to bring her out of her shell, don't bombard her with questions about her past, but don't ignore it. Its best to only talk about it much if she brings it up, we can talk about it more when she is here. Really, just trust your instincts, you'll do fine."

"Thank you." Emily said as they stood up to shake her hand. JJ opened the door and called Rachel in to say goodbye. Rachel walked in and placed the book down on Dr. Yang's desk.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome, you can look at it next time you're here if you like."

"Okay."

Rachel, Emily and JJ headed outside to the car. "You like the Wizard of Oz?" JJ asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I dunno, I've never read it."

"Have you seen the movie? Its one of my favorites."

"No."

"I've got the book at home." Emily said as she glanced back to make sure Rachel was strapped in properly. "You can read it if you want."

Rachel fiddled with the bottom of her t-shirt and bit her lip. "I can't really read too good." She whispered, embarrassed.

"Oh, well, I can read it with you if you'd like."

"No thank you." Rachel was silent the rest of the drive home. As they walked through the door, JJ headed straight for the coffee pot to add to her caffeine addiction. Emily asked Rachel if she wanted a snack, receiving a nod, she began to dig around for the cheetos that she knew JJ had hidden somewhere. Rachel climbed up – somewhat unsuccessfully – onto one of the island table stools. She leaned forward and watched Emily and JJ interact with each other. "Are you two married?" She asked after a minute.

Emily looked up from her hunched over stance by the pantry and stared first at Rachel, then at JJ. She stood up and walked over to the table, JJ right behind her.

"Umm, yes we are. I thought you knew that." Emily answered after a moment.

Rachel cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes in thought. "But you're both girls."

"Yes we are." JJ said with a smile. She leaned forward and placed her elbows onto the countertop, in mirror image of Rachel. "Sometimes men and women marry each other, sometimes two men marry each other, and sometimes, two women marry each other."

"Cause they're in love?" Rachel asked. JJ turned her head and grinned at Emily, who was hiding a smirk.

"Yeah, because they are in love."

"Oh, okay, can I get that book now?" She asked Emily.

Emily beamed at the precious little girl. "Sure, I'll show you where it is." Emily turned and bumped her hip into JJ's playfully before following behind Rachel.


	8. Chapter 8

**Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a great day with your families and friends, get good presents and snow! We haven't gotten any yet:( So here is my Christmas present to you, hope you enjoy, I love all of you for reading and reviewing. It means a lot that people like it. Happy Holidays, Happy December:)**

JJ woke up around 10:30 loving the fact that she had been able to sleep in the last couple of days. She grabbed a sweatshirt and yanked it over herself before heading downstairs in her pjs to find the two brunettes. Rachel had begun to open up a little more over the last day or so. She still didn't make much eye contact, she wouldn't really let either woman hug or touch her much which was killing JJ. She had been terrified of motherhood – still was – but she found that she had the urge to cuddle with the little girl or just have more contact all the time. Since Rachel wasn't really for any of it yet, JJ had become much more affectionate with Emily, Garcia and Reid. Garcia was highly amused when JJ wrapped Reid up in a tackle hug and wouldn't release him when they visited the day before.

Rachel had been a bit wary of the team, Emily and JJ decided to slowly introduce them, so it wasn't overwhelming. Garcia, being the only one who hadn't seen Rachel yet had been dying to see her. She had called JJ – and Emily – almost five or six times a day in the last four days begging to come over. After speaking with Dr. Yang, JJ finally agreed but she had threatened Garcia with violence if she scared the little brunette in anyway.

* * *

><p>"Jayje, I'm me, how am I scary? Jack loves me!"<p>

"Garcia, Jack grew up in a loving home with parents who took care of him for seven years, Rachel was neglected and abused by almost everyone. You are very affectionate, she isn't. You can't hug her and squeal and do your usual thing, not until she gets more comfortable around you, around anyone."

"Fine. I'll behave."

"Penelope." JJ said with a warning.

"I promise Jayje. I can be calm." Garcia responded seriously.

"Okay, you and Reid can come today then, she's more frightened of men, so I'd rather wait on Hotch, Morgan and Rossi for now. Reid won't scare her."

"Yay! I'll call him and we'll be over in about fifteen."

JJ hung up the phone and nodded to Emily who had been half listening and half showing Rachel how to play chess. Rachel looked adorable, deep in concentration, her tongue stuck out, she kept flipping her hair out of her eyes and paying very close attention anytime Emily explained something.

"Guess what Rachel?" JJ said with enthusiasm as she came to sit down on the couch near where the two of them were squatting around the table.

"What?" Rachel asked without looking up from the game.

"Remember I said my friend Garcia might come visit?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded and moved one of her pieces. "Well, she is going to come over today, and Reid, do you remember him?"

"No."

"He is on our team, you met them all when we met you. He's tall and sort of skinny. He is great at chess, maybe he can help us play." Emily said with a warm smile.

"Okay." Rachel agreed a little warily. Emily glanced up at JJ. They knew this was going to be a test on how well Rachel began interacting with others. She had never been to any school. Her father had 'tutored' her instead. She was scheduled to go in and take a test at the school Emily and JJ had chosen for her tomorrow. They needed to see what she knew and where to place her. Emily had gotten JJ to agree on a private school, she had enough money saved – JJ always hated using just Emily's money, even though they had been married three years. JJ couldn't argue that it would be easier to catch her up in a private school as opposed to a public one. Plus, since they were paying tuition, they had a little more say and freedom to get her some special treatment. The principal was an old friend of Emily's family and she had spoken to her at length explaining Rachel's situation. They knew that their would be some issues, it was inevitable, but they wanted to be as prepared to deal with them as possible.

Rachel was nervous about the test and school in general. She got extremely flustered and upset if she didn't know the answer to something and felt stupid. Apparently, her father had called her stupid more than once and mostly given up teaching her. Emily had tried to help her read some of The Wizard of Oz after they came back from the shrink and Rachel had just been embarrassed. They could tell anytime she didn't know a word because she leaned closer to the page and looked on the verge of tears. Anytime either of them offered help, she would refuse and give up. Seeing her so dejected and afraid to ask for help made JJ want to put a bullet in Frankie Gallagher's head all over again.

The doorbell rang and JJ saw Rachel tense up. She took a deep breath and went over to answer it, giving a look to Emily.

"Hi!" Garcia said cheerfully – but calmly – as JJ opened the door. Reid was smiling softly right behind her.

"Hey guys, come on in, Em's teaching Rachel to play chess."

"Oh really?" Reid asked, his interest peaking. He waved to Emily and shucked his coat before heading over to sit by her. He was not good with children. He simply didn't know how to act with them, an abused and shy girl like Rachel was even worse. He was afraid of scaring her and doing something wrong. Reid just gave her a soft smile and a tiny wave and directed his attention to Emily. Rachel eyed Reid warily, not moving from her spot, as Reid was closer to Emily, her idea of going to sit closer to her was out. Rachel looked up and was relieved when she realized the footsteps had been JJ, she scooted herself a little closer to the blonde as she sat on the couch.

"Hi Rachel, I'm Penelope." Garcia introduced herself as she sat down in between Reid and JJ. "But you can call me Garcia, or Penelope, or Aunt Pen, or whatever you like."

"Hi." Rachel whispered, keeping her eyes on the chess board. Garcia looked at JJ, a little hurt. She knew from what JJ and Emily had been explaining to her that Rachel was shy, but this was much more serious than she had realized. God she hated her father. This adorable little girl was terrified of everyone. It wasn't fair. Garcia was determined to make her smile at least once before she left that day.

"And Rachel, this is Spencer Reid, he is better at chess than anyone." Emily said smiling at Reid. "Want him to be on your team?"

"No thank you."

"If you get stuck, let me know and I'll be glad to give you a pointer." Reid said smiling at the little girl. She was cute. Reid had been a quiet, shy kid, not abused, but certainly neglected, benign or not. He could relate to a mother staying in bed and not taking care of him. His heart went out to Rachel, he was happy that she had Emily and JJ to take care of her. He had never really had anyone else.

"Thanks." Rachel whispered.

JJ stood up to get some coffee for everyone and didn't notice Rachel tense up as she walked away. Emily did however, and quickly began explaining another way to make a move in chess so Rachel had something to focus on. It worked, she listened intently, even looking up as Reid added something. Contemplating their explanations, she bit her bottom lip and moved her queen, taking one of Emily's pieces. The grin that popped onto her face as she got something right made everyone's heart melt.

"Good job!" Garcia said holding her hand out to Rachel for a high five without thinking. Rachel just looked at it for a second, then reached out lightly and hit her hand with Garcia's, much to the blonde's delight.

"Rachel, if you do this..." Reid began as he shoved Garcia over and sat by Rachel, bending down to whisper the move in her ear. Emily saw her tense up and almost reached out to yank Reid back, but she listened to him and did his move, winning the game.

"I win?" She asked as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes you do." Emily said with a smile. Loosing had never felt so good in her life. Rachel beamed and this time stuck her hand out to Reid. A little surprised, he hesitated but then high fived the little girl with a smile.

"Thanks, you can be on my team now if you want." Rachel said to him. "We can play again right?" She asked Emily.

"Yeah, we can play again." Emily said looking back into the kitchen at JJ. She was walking back her hands very full as she expertly carried three mugs of coffee. JJ beamed as Reid moved off of the couch to sit down on the floor next to Rachel. They began whispering strategy to each other as Emily set up the board again. JJ smiled as she handed Emily her coffee and kicked her lightly.

As the afternoon wore on, Rachel grew more and more comfortable. With Reid helping her, she was learning the rules Emily had already explained much quicker. Really, she didn't need his help all that much. Emily lost four games in a row and she couldn't have been happier. With each win, Rachel grew more and more excited, and let it show rather than keep it in. Garcia and JJ designated themselves as cheerleaders and their excitement was shifting to Rachel. After their third win, Rachel even got up with Garcia and did a little victory dance with her. JJ felt like she might explode with happiness as she watched them. It reaffirmed her confidence in taking care of Rachel. They could do this. They could heal this little girl.

* * *

><p>Emily looked up as JJ shuffled downstairs in her pjs. "Morning sleepyhead." She grinned as JJ pulled her into a hug.<p>

"Morning." JJ responded as she took Emily's coffee from her and situated herself half on the brunette's lap. "Where's Rachel?"

"Watching some cartoons. She's really nervous about today."

JJ sighed. "What time do we need to be there?"

"An hour."

"Okay, will you make me some toast, with jelly while I pop in the shower?"

"Sure." Emily said smacking JJ's ass lightly as the blonde stood up. JJ grinned at her and sauntered over to the couch where Rachel was sitting.

"Morning kiddo." She said with a smile.

"Hi." Rachel answered without looking up from the tv. JJ just shook her head and reached over to lightly fluff Rachel's hair. She had been slowly touching Rachel like that more often, she wanted the girl to get used to her. JJ was a person who needed to be in contact with others. As a kid, she had always wanted to cuddle with everyone, her mother especially and that hadn't really gone away as she grew up. Rachel didn't seem to mind so JJ fluffed her hair again.

"Want me to do something with your hair before we go? I can braid it or something."

Rachel turned away from the tv and looked at JJ, but didn't meet her eyes. "Can you do it half up?"

"Sure I can." JJ said happily.

"Okay." Rachel whispered, sinking back into the couch more and fiddling with her hands. "Why do I have to go to school?" She asked quietly. JJ looked up and caught Emily's eye in the kitchen before answering.

JJ sat herself back against the couch, turned to face Rachel. She reached over and lightly ran her fingers through the curly hair. "Well sweetie, all kids go to school, for one, its a law and its fun. You get to learn all these interesting things. Like you'll get to read all kinds of books, some made up stories, and some real ones. You'll get to learn all these cool things and be really smart."

"But what if I can't learn it?" Rachel asked with a slight choke in her voice.

"You can Rach, everyone can learn, everyone learns at their own pace. The reason your going to take a test today is just to see what you already know so they know what class to put you in. Its nothing to be worried about. The teachers are all really nice and Emily and I will be there."

"But what if I get the answers wrong?"

"That's fine Rachel, you're only seven years old, people take a long time to learn things. Emily and I still learn new things everyday."

"But you don't go to school."

"No, not anymore, but we still learn, its fun Rachel, I promise you'll like it. Plus, you get to be with a bunch of kids your age, you'll have friends to play with."

"Okay." Rachel whispered, turning her attention back to the tv and scooting out of JJ's reach. The blonde profiler sighed and stood up to go shower. She caught Emily's eye and smiled lightly as she headed upstairs.

Once JJ had gotten showered and dressed, she called Rachel upstairs to do her hair. Rachel hesitantly walked into Emily and JJ's bedroom and crossed over to their bathroom. JJ had found a little step stool and patted it for Rachel to climb up on. The little girl stood patiently as JJ gently combed Rachel's curly hair. She pulled some of it back from each side and braided it, securing it with a green hair tie. Rachel had told them her favorite color was green. They were going to pick out some paint after taking Rachel to the school to paint her white walls. The whole team was going to come over to help, Jack included in hopes that having another kid would make it easier to meet Hotch, Rossi and Morgan.

"There. How's that?" JJ asked admiring her work. Rachel gave her a tiny smile and nodded. She looked at JJ through the mirror.

"Do yours too."

"Like yours?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded and JJ quickly pulled her hair back and quickly braided it. Rachel climbed up to sit on the sink while she watched JJ. She handed her a blue hair tie. "There, now we match." JJ said as she showed it off to Rachel. She turned and looked at them both through the mirror, Rachel beamed and hopped down off of the countertop.

"Let's show Emily!"

"Okay." JJ said with a laugh as she followed the running little girl.

"Emily look!" Rachel yelled as she ran down the stairs excitedly. "JJ and I match!" Rachel did a little twirl and her skirt flew out adorably. Emily grinned at her and pretended to be wowed as she glanced back and forth at their hair.

"Very pretty Rach." Emily said giving JJ a light kiss. "You ready to go?"

Rachel stopped twirling and frowned. "Yeah, I guess so." She said unhappily as Emily handed her her coat.

"Rachel, it will be fine. And remember afterwords, we get to go get paint and then the whole team is gonna come over to help! You're going to have a green room by tonight!"

"Really? It will be done tonight!" Rachel asked excitedly.

"Yup, but you can't sleep in there tonight, the paint fumes have to dry."

"Where will I sleep?" Rachel asked horrified.

JJ laughed as she opened the car door and stood by watching to make sure Rachel buckled herself into the booster seat properly. "You can sleep in with Emily and I, plenty of room in our bed. And then your room will be ready for you to sleep in tomorrow night."

"Oh, won't I be in the way?"

JJ leaned into Rachel and waited for her to meet her eyes. "You'll never be in the way Rach, okay?"

"What if I have an accident?" Rachel asked, embarrassed. Rachel had had two accidents in the night so far. Dr. Yang said it was fairly common for abused children to wet the bed. Rachel grew horribly embarrassed and upset both times it happened.

"Then we clean it up, no big deal. Remember, we just make sure you don't drink too much before bed, and we'll go to the bathroom a couple of times first. Okay?"

"Okay." Rachel said. JJ smiled and closed the door and climbed into the passenger seat. Emily looked over and smiled at her wife before pulling out and heading to the school.


	9. Chapter 9

Emily paced back and forth in the empty hallway biting her fingernails. Rachel had been in the classroom with Liz, her old friend and the principal, and Miss. Hathaway, the second grade teacher, for almost half an hour now. They had decided it would be less stressful for Rachel to only have as many people as necessary in the room. Since Miss. Hathaway had taught first grade as well, it was easier to just have her and Liz; which meant Emily and JJ were out and into the hall to wait. JJ had taken to texting Garcia and making plans for later this afternoon while Emily had simply begun to pace. Truthfully, they had no idea what Rachel knew. She was certainly intelligent and observant but she was ignorant due to a lack of anyone caring. Emily didn't want her to feel bad about herself.

"Sit down, your making me dizzy." JJ complained without even looking up from her phone. Emily glared at her, but complied.

"This is really not fun at all." Emily whined.

"Yeah, I never thought it would be."

"Well, you're the one that talked it up to her this morning."

"Well I was lying."

"Lying? Really? You're gonna lie to our kid now?" Emily said with an annoyed tone, but giving JJ an amused look.

"Of course if it makes her less scared, and it wasn't a total lie, I said she would be fine, and school _will_ be fun, once she meets friends and gets settled in."

Emily grinned and took the phone out of JJ's hands, Garcia had been working on a possible case and simultaneously texting JJ. She hadn't responded in a few minutes and JJ's tapping was driving Emily nuts. "I'm sure she'll be done soon."

The two women waited – still impatiently – for about fifteen more minutes before Liz came out, a frown on her face. "We're done."

"What's wrong?" Emily asked immediately.

"She's upset." Liz sighed. "She did very well, much better than I would have expected given what you told me. She is not ready for second grade, but she is much too advanced for kindergarden. I think we should place her in first grade and with some extra help and tutoring in the mornings. She could easily catch up to second grade before the year is out if I'm right. She's ignorant, but bright, any time she missed a question, once we explained it, she usually seemed to pick it up quickly."

"Then why is she upset?" JJ asked.

"She grew more and more distressed with every question she got wrong, and she got a lot wrong, but that really wasn't the point of the test, we explained that. I kept trying to encourage her and let her know what a great job she was doing, but her father really did a number on her. She thinks she's stupid, and that you will give her back now that you know."

"What!" JJ and Emily yelled almost simultaneously.

"Miss. Hathaway is in with her now, but you should probably go in there. We're done, you can take her home whenever you're ready. We'll try starting her on monday?"

"Thanks Liz." Emily said, shaking her hand quickly and following right behind JJ as they all but ran into the classroom. Rachel was sitting in one of the front desks, trying to stop herself from crying. Miss. Hathaway was consoling her the best she could, both of them looked up as Emily and JJ entered the room. Rachel began crying harder the second she saw them and ducked her head down in shame. Emily's heart broke. She and JJ moved over to her as quickly as they could. "Thank you." Emily said, shaking Miss. Hathaway's hand as she bent to take her seat. JJ sat on the other side of Rachel and tried to reach out to hug her, but the little brunette pulled away. Every time she did that, even though JJ was in a way prepared for it, it still hurt. Being rejected by a child was always somehow worse than being rejected by an adult.

Emily however, was having none of it right now. She was going to make sure Rachel knew they weren't going anywhere. "Rachel, Liz, said you did a great job, can you tell us what's wrong?" She asked softly.

"I'm sorry." Rachel whispered.

"Sorry for what sweetie? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm stupid. Nobody wants a stupid child." Rachel said, as it it had been rehearsed and repeated her whole life, which it probably had.

"You are _not_ stupid Rachel." JJ said vehemently. She moved over next to Emily and took Rachel's hands in hers, forcing her to face them and listen. "You did a great job! Everybody gets answers wrong sometimes. This was just a test to see where you need to be in school, its not something that measures how smart you are."

"JJ's right Rach, you did fantastic, you get to be in first grade! That means you're so smart that you get to skip kindergarden, almost all kids have to do that first."

"Yeah, but they start younger don't they?"

"Yeah normally they do, but that wasn't your fault Rachel, it was your dad's. He should have put you in school." Emily explained. "But now, you get to go to this school, and get a cute little uniform, and a teacher and classmates and a tutor who will be there to help you with any question you have. Does that sound okay?"

"You still want me?" Rachel whispered, so quietly, so hopefully, that it almost broke both women right then and there.

"Rachel we will _always_ want you." JJ answered her immediately.

"You're stuck with us now kiddo." Emily said with a smile. Rachel looked up at each of them, glancing back and forth between their faces, as if to try and figure out if they were lying or not. She seemed to accept it as the truth, at least for the time being. Rachel wiped away a tear, and sat up straighter, nodding slightly. "You guys ready to get out of here?" Emily asked as she took JJ's hand and stood up.

"Yeah, I believe we've got some green paint to buy, right Rach?" JJ asked with a grin, holding her hand out to Rachel. The little girl hesitated – just for a moment – then gave a tiny smile of her own and took JJ's hand.

"Can it be bright green?" She whispered hopefully.

Emily grinned at JJ as the three of them began walking out of the school. "It can be any color you want."

* * *

><p>JJ looked up as she heard squeals of happiness on her right. Jack had attacked Rachel with some green paint and she had retaliated. Thankfully, they had prepared for this, everything that had been easy to move out of the bedroom was gone, and everything else was – very securely – covered with sheets. Hotch had warned her to have Rachel in clothes they didn't care about before he came over. JJ grinned at the smile on Rachel's face as Jack tried to leap out of the way. Most of the painting the two of them had done was on the floor, thankfully covered by multiple layers of newspaper. Garcia was quick to join in the fun, grabbing Jack and holding him hostage for Rachel. The little girl laughed loudly for the first time JJ could ever remember. She glanced over at Emily and saw that she was watching as well. Emily caught JJ's eye and they smiled at each other. It was probably the best sound either of them had ever heard. JJ was thrilled that Garcia had set up a camera somewhere, passing it around at first, and then just setting it somewhere it could catch most of them. Emily moved over closer to JJ and she leaned up, expecting a kiss, instead she got green paint on her face.<p>

"Emily Prentiss!" JJ yelped. Emily just giggled and smiled innocently. JJ grinned mischievously and lunged at Emily, tackling her to the ground and getting on top of her. "You are gonna pay for that." She said with glee as she decorated Emily's face with green paint.

Rachel paused what she was doing at watched them, as did most of the room. Garcia grinned and leaned in to whisper to Rachel. "Go help Jayje!" She said excitedly.

"No, they might get mad." Rachel answered cautiously. From the look on her face, she definitely wanted to join in, but she was always so afraid of angering people. Garcia sighed.

"No, it will make them really happy. Jack will go too, right Jack?"

"Huh?" Jack asked, looking up from his 'design' he was making on the side of the wall with Morgan.

"Go help Aunt JJ paint Aunt Emily." Garcia said wriggling her eyebrows. "You and the monkey."

"Who's a monkey?" Rachel asked.

"You are silly." Garcia answered, tickling her stomach lightly. Rachel giggled.

"I'm not a monkey, I'm a girl."

"Yeah, but you climb around like a little monkey."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"So I have a nickname?" Rachel asked, happily.

"Yes you do Monkey, go get them!"

Rachel and Jack grinned at each other then let out a war cry and ran over to Emily and JJ. Emily was putting up a good fight and had gotten quite a lot of paint on JJ as well, but as she turned to her side and saw two children running at her, she sighed. If they were on JJ's side, she would lose for sure. Jack lunged himself half on top of JJ and half on Emily, causing both of them to gasp a little at the force. He happily began poking Emily with his paint covered brush. She laughed and tried to tickle and fend of both him and JJ. Rachel hesitated, watching the three of them curiously. She wasn't sure what to do. They're wasn't any room to get at Emily and to her, it didn't seem fair to have three against one. Rachel walked slowly over and bit her bottom lip nervously. She reached out her paintbrush, and quickly and gently, got JJ on the cheek. JJ looked over at her in shock. Rachel instantly backed away, fearful that she had done something wrong. Emily grinned as she lifted Jack up slightly to be able to see Rachel.

"Ha!" She yelled happily. "Rachel's on my team! Get JJ Rach!"

Rachel didn't move, she was still looking at JJ, waiting for her reaction. JJ grinned at the little girl. "So you're on Emily's team then huh?" She asked as she lifted her leg off Emily's side. "Jack, you get her, I'm gonna get Rachel."

"Okay! Aunt Emily, you're going down!" Jack yelled.

"As are you little one." JJ said, pointing her brush at Rachel. Rachel's eyes widened as JJ advanced on her. JJ was smiling, she didn't look angry, or frightening in any way. As she moved forward Rachel waited, unsure of how this game was played. Next thing she knew, JJ had grabbed her and was tickling her. Rachel squealed with delight. "You little traitor!" JJ said happily. "You we're supposed to come help me! Not Emily!"

"It was already two against one!" Rachel panted out in between tickles.

"That's my girl." Emily called out as she held Jack easily away from her body. He was hysterically trying to reach forward and paint her jeans. "Hotch, a little help here?" Emily asked happily. Hotch looked at Jack, who screamed and lunged himself into Emily. It did no good, she held him out to his father's mercy. Jack yelled for help as Hotch snatched him and began painting his face in the same manner JJ was painting Rachel's.

"Not fair! Aunt JJ help me! We're on the same team!" Jack yelled.

"I'm a little busy buddy." JJ answered as Rachel tried to get away again.

Rossi took a glance around the room. While this was all very amusing, most of the paint was getting on his friends rather than the walls. He whistled loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Game over." He said with a sorrowful smile. "Or we're gonna have to buy more paint."

"No, Rossi's right. Let's finish this then eat." Emily said, picking her brush back up. Hotch released Jack and he began helping his father paint happily. Emily glanced over at Morgan, Garcia and Reid, who had started their own little paint fight – though not on the grand scale the kids had been doing. She looked over at JJ, who still had Rachel halfway on her lap, her arms around the tired girl. She was out of breath and simply resting back into JJ. Emily faltered for a moment and just stared. Rachel hadn't let either of them hug her yet. She caught JJ's eye and the blonde beamed at her. As much as she felt like a sap, Emily's eyes welled up a little. It was the first time she had looked at them and felt like she was really looking at her wife and daughter, her family.

Rachel seemed to just realize the position she was in. She quickly moved herself out of JJ's grasp and picked up her fallen paintbrush. The little girl walked over to Reid and began helping him paint. Ever since he helped her play chess, she seemed to take a liking to him. JJ sighed, but didn't let herself feel hurt. That was progress, and if it happened once, it was bound to happen again. She looked up at Emily and smiled as her wife bent down and this time actually gave her a kiss instead of a face full of paint.

"I love you." Emily whispered.

"I love you too." JJ whispered back.

* * *

><p>They had been very nervous about how the day would go after leaving the school. Rachel had cheered up considerably once they began looking at paint colors. She had eagerly chosen an almost neon green. It was a bold color for sure, but they had decided she could pick whatever one she wanted. They could always paint it agin when she was older if they needed to. Rachel had wanted to carry the paint, but all the cans were much too heavy. As they were getting out of the car, she tried again when Emily and JJ weren't looking. She yelped as she almost dropped it on her toes. Emily and JJ turned quickly at the sound in time to see Morgan reach around Rachel and grab the can just in time. Rachel looked straight up at the buff black man and opened her mouth in shock.<p>

"Hey, I'm Derek Morgan, we met a little while ago. I think that's a bit heavy for a seven year old." He said with a smile. Rachel simply stared, her neck turned all the way up to look at him. It would have been comical if they weren't so worried about Rachel's reaction to the man. "Bright green?" Morgan said eyeing the paint can. "Good choice."

Rachel sidestepped out from under him and stood next to Morgan, still just looking at him. Waiting to see what he would do next.

"Hey Morgan." Emily said greeting her friend.

"Princess." He said with a cocky nod. Emily just shook her head and lifted out some more paint cans as Garcia and Reid came up behind them. The three younger agents had car pooled, Hotch and Jack would be arriving any minute, and Rossi was due any second as well. "JJ, you guys have food right?"

"Seriously? That is your first question?" JJ asked, amused.

"I said hi first. Didn't I Shrimp?" He asked looking down to Rachel. Rachel just stared at him as she walked slowly into the apartment, keeping Emily in between herself and Morgan. "Wow, you guys weren't kidding." Morgan whispered to Emily.

"Yeah, I know." Emily sighed as they unloaded all the paint. "I wish we were." She looked over at JJ, Garcia and Reid as they began setting up the paint in Rachel's room. Rachel hung back and mostly watched, glancing back at Morgan every few seconds or so. Emily heard a knock on the door and went to open it, greeting Hotch and a very excited Jack.

"Hi Aunt Emily!" He yelled giving her a quick hug before running inside to greet everyone else. He lunged himself up into Morgan's arms and began telling him excitedly about some truck or other thing he had gotten recently.

"Hey Hotch." Emily said letting him inside.

"Hi." Hotch said, greeting Emily. He looked over and saw Rachel eyeing Morgan and Jack curiously. "How is everything going so far?"

"Mostly good I think. Its hard though."

"Yeah, I could have told you that. Its hard anyway." Hotch said, giving Emily one of his rare smiles. She noticed she had been seeing more of them lately. Especially if Jack was around, or they were out of work.

"Well thanks." She said sarcastically. The doorbell rang and she opened the door for Rossi, their last arrival. "Hey, thanks for coming."

"No problem." Rossi greeted her with a smile and Hotch with a handshake. Rachel had been watching as Morgan and Jack began helping JJ, Garcia and Reid paint, but she noticed Hotch and Rossi for the first time. Emily took a deep breath, if Rachel was going to be afraid of any of them, it would be either of the two older men. She caught JJ's eye and the blonde stood up to go greet the men.

"Hi guys." She said happily, hugging them both. JJ slipped her hand into Emily's and prayed Rachel didn't freak out. "Rachel, this is Hotch and Rossi, they are our friends from work. Do you remember meeting them?" She asked softly. Rachel nodded and fiddled with the edge of her old t-shirt. She refused to look up and make eye contact with any of them. "Well, they are here to help paint your room today! Hotch is Jack's father."

Rachel looked over at Jack who was happily in the middle of Morgan and Garcia, stirring the paint. He looked up at the mention of his name and waved at Rachel. "Hi!" He said happily before getting back to his task. Rachel didn't respond or move. Emily simply directed the two men into the room to start. As they passed Rachel, they smiled, trying to appear as less threatening as possible. Rachel backed herself up and kept her eyes on them at all times. Emily and JJ came into the room as well, and Rachel placed herself behind them. The group began getting to work, and Rachel stayed as far away from Hotch, Rossi and Morgan as she could. Jack easily came over to talk to her after a while and she began to open up and feel a little safer. Seeing another kid interact with the adults so easily, seeing that he wasn't scared, helped. After about an hour, she stopped keeping an eye on the men and just enjoyed herself.

* * *

><p>The team finished and stepped back to admire their work. Rachel was now the proud owner of a very green room. Emily looked down at her and caught a tiny smile as the girl surveyed the walls. "Alright, whose hungry?" Emily asked. "We ordered pizza."<p>

"Me!" Jack yelled, sticking his hand in the air. The paint covered boy bolted out of the room and downstairs, Hotch hot on his heels. Morgan and Garcia were equally as excited to be fed, but hid their enthusiasm – slightly – better. Rossi trailed along, half listening to whatever fact Reid was telling him. Only Emily, JJ and Rachel were left in the room alone.

"Do you like it Rachel?" Emily asked. Rachel nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime Rach, anytime." Emily said smiling at her wife. The three of them went down to join their friends. The pizza guy seemed a little shocked to be greeted by a bunch of adults covered in green paint, but he took it in stride. Everyone was starving and dug in, even Rachel. She seemed to have accepted Morgan and was watching just as excitedly as Jack as he showed them a game. She still kept an eye on Hotch and Rossi, but she didn't seem to be afraid to be in the same room as the two men anymore. All in all, the afternoon was deemed a success by Emily and JJ. After a while, they said their goodbyes and went to clean themselves of the paint.

JJ jumped in their bathroom shower while Emily helped Rachel into the tub. She figured it would be easier for her to wash the paint out of her hair than for the seven year old to attempt it herself. Rachel was very cautious about getting into the tub, but Emily let her test the water over and over again and waited until Rachel approved. She let the tub fill completely and shut the water off before telling Rachel to get in. Rachel sat down and covered her eyes with her hands as Emily poured water over her hair with a cup.

"Did you have fun today?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. I like Jack."

"Good!"

"Does he go to my school?"

"No, he goes to the public school near his house. But you'll see him a lot."

"Oh okay."

Emily gently massaged the shampoo into Rachel's hair, laughing a little at how much paint there had been. Rachel giggled in delight at how green the water in the tub was getting. Emily wondered if it was really safe to have her sitting in the paint filled water and vowed to make this a quick bath. "Cover your eyes." She said as she very carefully poured water over her hair, rinsing out the shampoo.

"Emily?" Rachel asked as she patiently sat getting conditioner smoothed through her hair.

"Yeah?"

"Jack said his mom is dead too, is that true?"

Emily licked her lips and finished rinsing out the conditioner. She let the water drain out of the tub as Rachel stood up waiting as Emily wrapped a towel around her and lifted her out of the tub. "Yes Rachel, Haley died about two years ago."

"Did she kill herself like my mom?"

"No." Emily wasn't sure if she should tell the little girl the truth. It might only frighten her more, but Jack could easily tell her and Emily didn't want to be caught in a lie. Rachel needed to trust her and she knew about bad things. As much as it killed Emily, Rachel would understand. "No, she was murdered by a very bad man."

"Who?" Rachel whispered as Emily dried her hair.

"A man that our team was trying to catch."

"Did you get him?" Rachel whispered.

"Yes we did." Emily said looking directly into Rachel's eyes. She held out Rachel's nightgown and the little girl dropped the towel and held her arms up for Emily to pull it over her head. Emily passed over some undies and Rachel almost fell over climbing into them and rested a hand on Emily's shoulder for support. Emily smiled.

"But she still died." Rachel said looking up at Emily.

"Yes, we couldn't get to her in time." Emily answered sadly. Rachel looked at Emily for a minute, then turned to climb on her stool and brush her teeth.

"Why do ou get bad guz?" Rachel asked, her mouth full of toothpaste.

"Why do we get them?" Emily asked confused. Rachel rinsed and spat, wiping her mouth before looking at Emily.

"Why did you pick this job?" Rachel asked, explaining herself.

"Oh." Emily said, helping Rachel down from her stool and leading her into their bedroom. "Well, because...because I wanted to protect people. To help them."

"Like a superhero?" Rachel asked with a tiny smile.

Emily grinned. "No, not quite."

"I like the term superhero." JJ said with a grin as she came out of the bathroom drying her hair.

"Me too!" Rachel said with a smile.

"Okay." Emily answered the little girl. "I'm gonna jump in the shower." She passed JJ and whispered, "she's already gone to the bathroom." JJ nodded as she headed into the bathroom. Rachel was standing in the middle of the room, playing with the bottom of her nightgown. A sign that she was nervous. JJ shook her hair out and climbed onto her bed, patting the spot next to her for Rachel. The little girl hesitated, but slowly climbed up and sat crossed-legged next to JJ.

"Did you brush your teeth?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded and yawned. JJ grinned and leaned back, her grin widening as Rachel mimicked her.

"Will my room be ready tomorrow?" Rachel asked tiredly.

"Yes it will."

"To sleep in?"

"Yup. We can move all your stuff back in after lunch probably. Its just got to have enough time to dry and your not supposed to smell wet paint fumes."

"Cause I could get sick?"

"Correct." JJ answered with a smile.

Rachel turned her head to face JJ. "So its my room?" She asked. "Forever?"

"For as long as you want it." JJ said sleepily.

"And I stay here forever?"

"We would love that Rachel."

Rachel turned away and looked up at the ceiling while JJ watched her. "Garcia called me Monkey today. She said its my nickname cause I climbed all over."

JJ laughed. "Well, she is right about that, you do kinda climb all over things."

"Sorry."

"Its okay. I'll let you know if its dangerous."

"I've never had a nickname before." Rachel whispered into her hands. JJ ignored the voice telling her to be patient, and reached over to pull Rachel gently into her arms.

"You do now Monkey." She whispered into the little girl's ear. "And knowing Garcia and our team, you'll probably have more than one."

"Like Rach?" She asked, not moving herself out of JJ's arms. "I like it when you call me Rach."

"Well good to know." JJ said, looking up as Emily came out of the bathroom. The brunette grinned at the sight of them and climbed into the bed as well, flickering off the light on her way. Emily and JJ lifted the covers up and Rachel wormed her way down into them. Emily looked over Rachel's head at her wife and beamed. JJ lifted herself up slightly and reached over to kiss Emily.

"Hey!" Rachel yelled as she was squished slightly.

"Hey yourself!" Emily said, tickling her side a little. Rachel squealed and rolled herself away from Emily and into JJ to try and hide. JJ just tickled her as well, laughing as Rachel giggled and rolled back into Emily. After a few minutes of tickling, Rachel yawned and they stopped. The little girl fell asleep almost instantly. Emily leaned over and kissed her wife for a second time. "I think we can call this a success huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, today was definitely a success." JJ murmured happily.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you guys so much for all your comments! I hope everyone had a great holiday:) Here is the next chapter, its kind of fluffy. **

JJ was jerked awake as a tiny leg whacked her in the stomach. Lazily – and in slight pain – she opened her eyes to find Rachel half on top of her, sound asleep. Lifting her head up a bit, she caught Emily's eye.

"Sorry." Emily whispered sheepishly. "She was sort of on me, and I tried to slide out, she rolled over and hit you."

"Its okay." JJ said, attempting to shift herself so she could sit up and see Emily better.

"No, don't get up. I'm just gonna go make coffee and come back." Emily said quickly. She walked over to JJ's side of the bed and kissed her. "Be right back."

"You know, I kind of love having all these days off. I'm gonna get really cranky once we have to go back to work early."

Emily grinned, anticipating that already. "Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts." She warned with a second kiss. JJ happily slid back down into the covers and winced as Rachel moved around again. JJ really didn't want to wake the little girl up. Unguarded, sleeping, Rachel was beyond adorable. JJ beamed as Rachel shifted herself even more onto JJ; her right leg – that had woken JJ up – was strewn over her torso, her head was using JJ's chest as a pillow and her hand reached out and clutched the fabric of JJ's shirt. She watched as Rachel bunched the fabric up and gripped it tightly in her fist. JJ ran her fingers softly through Rachel's hair, careful not to wake the little girl. She looked up as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs and smiled at the sight of her wife with two mugs of coffee. Emily passed one over to JJ before climbing back into the bed.

"I knew there was a reason I married you." JJ said as she practically inhaled the beverage and burned her tongue. "Ow." She complained.

"Don't burn that tongue, I intend to use it later." Emily said with a devilish grin.

"Emily Prentiss!" JJ scolded, covering Rachel's ear with her free hand. "Our child is present!"

"And she is sound asleep and seven and wouldn't understand even if she was awake."

"You are awful." JJ responded with a grin.

"You know, Reid told me once about some article he read about children and trust; he said that a child will only fall asleep on someone they truly trust. Even in they don't know it, their subconscious does. If they don't trust them, they will either wake up or move away in their sleep. That's why babies sleep on their mothers so well."

JJ smiled lightly as she glanced down at Rachel. "Well for once, I find Reid's facts interesting."

Emily chuckled. "Yeah, he's worth keeping around I suppose."

The three of them stayed in bed happily, the two women just talking and drinking their coffee while Rachel slept. To Emily's great amusement, Rachel moved around a little more, flinging herself into different positions mostly on top of JJ. As JJ lifted her precious coffee out of the way of a limb for the third time that morning, Emily's laughter woke the seven year old up. "Hey there Sleepyhead." JJ murmured, brushing some of Rachel's curls out of her face. Rachel squinted her eyes and smacked her head back down into JJ's chest, stretching out her arms. JJ just laughed, and patted her back gently. "How'd you sleep?" She asked.

Rachel – now slightly more awake – seemed to realize she was basically on top of JJ and instantly shoved herself off. "Sorry." She mumbled, unsure of where to go as Emily was on the other side of her. She curled up into herself nervously, worried that she somehow angered the two women. JJ glanced at Emily sorrowfully. She hated having moments where it seemed like everything was finally becoming normal, only for Rachel to retreat into herself again. It was aggravating and heartbreaking all at the same time.

"Rach, you don't have to be sorry. Snuggling is very nice, you can snuggle with me anytime you want." JJ said with a smile. Rachel just looked at her and nodded slightly before sticking her face into the pillow sleepily. Emily laughed and reached out to tickle Rachel's side. The little girl giggled and tried to squirm away from Emily. She found herself pushed against JJ and squealed.

"Help Mrs. JJ!" She begged. JJ grinned and took mercy on Rachel. Lifting her up into the air and out of Emily's way, she set her down on the edge of the bed. Rachel giggled and slipped out of the bed, standing there looking at both of them. "Can I go to the bathroom?" She asked quietly.

"Rach, you don't have to ask." Emily said pointing to their bathroom. "Go ahead."

"Okay." Rachel said as she ran into the room and closed the door much softer than an average seven year old would.

JJ set her coffee mug down and pulled Emily into her, covering her with kisses. "Oh, seriously? I get yelled at for talking while she's asleep, but you can make a move when she could come back in here any second?"

"Shut up and kiss me while we've got time." JJ practically growled. Emily grinned and happily complied until she heard the door open.

"We're you two kissing?" Rachel asked as she came out of the bathroom. Emily lifted her head up, keeping her arms around JJ and laughed at Rachel. The little girl had part of her nightgown tucked into her underwear.

"Yes we were. Come here."

"Why?"

"So I can fix your nightgown." Emily said motioning Rachel over.

"No, why were you kissing?" Rachel asked as she walked over to them. Emily reached over and pulled the nightgown down, looking to JJ for an answer.

"Because married people kiss." JJ said simply.

"Oh. Do you want me to leave?"

Emily and JJ burst into laughter at the seriousness of Rachel's face. "No sweetie, you don't have to leave. Come on back in." Emily said as she pulled Rachel's nightgown towards them. Rachel giggled and twisted away a little.

"Are you guys hungry?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded her head excitedly. Emily reached over and lifted Rachel into the air as she crawled over JJ and out of the bed. She held Rachel under her arm like a football and smiled at JJ.

"Race you." She stated with childish excitement.

"Seriously?" JJ asked.

"Come on Rach, we can beat her!" Emily said running out of the room.

"Hey wait! Seriously! Em! That's not fair!" JJ yelled as scrambled to get out of the bed to chase them. "Emily!" JJ ran down the stairs as fast as she could without tripping to find the two of them climbing up at the table. "Seriously?" She said to Emily. Emily just stuck her tongue out at her and wriggled her eyebrows. Rachel watched her curiously and smiled as JJ returned the gesture. "How about pancakes?" JJ asked as she surveyed what they had.

"What do you think Rach?" Emily asked, secretly hoping she said yes. Emily wanted pancakes and if she attempted to make them they would end up being blobs of uncooked batter. Entirely inedible. "Maybe with chocolate chips?" She asked hopefully. JJ chuckled, seeing right through Emily's attempts to convince Rachel. The little girl nodded and Emily cheered slightly.

"Monkey, I think we live with a crazy person." JJ said, giving Rachel a wink. Rachel lit up at the use of her new nickname, but tried not to show how much it made her feel good. She was slowly trying to trust Emily and JJ, but in the back of her head, she kept hearing her father's voice; telling her how worthless she was. JJ noticed the look on Rachel's face and motioned for her to come over. "Here, you can stir the batter." She said, handing over the wooden spoon. Rachel tried to drag her stool over but almost fell in the process. Emily caught her and simply lifted her up to sit on the countertop.

"Much simpler." She said, smiling at Rachel.

"So Rach, we've got the weekend to do whatever we want before you start school and Em and I get back to work, any requests?" JJ asked as she turned the stovetop flame on. Rachel began stirring – with some difficulty – and gave JJ her signature shrug. "Here, grip it like this." JJ said while she took hold of the spoon and covered Rachel's hand with her own. Rachel tensed up a little at the contact but allowed JJ to show her how to do it. JJ reached over and smacked Emily's hand as she tried to eat a few chocolate chips before they went into the pancakes.

"Hey!" Emily protested. "There are plenty."

"No there aren't! The bags practically empty."

"Do I _have_ to go to school?" Rachel asked quietly as she passed the bowl of batter over to JJ. Emily glanced over and met JJ's eyes.

"Yeah sweetie, all kids have to go to school." Emily answered. "Remember, we talked about this already. You'll love it."

"We can go pick up your uniform today if you want?" JJ asked.

"What does it look like?" Rachel asked as she watched JJ pour the batter onto the stove.

"I think there are a few navy skirts, gray sweaters, stuff like that. I think you get a tie too."

"Do we have to get it today?"

"No, we can get it tomorrow, but we need it before you go to school."

"Oh, okay." Rachel mumbled. JJ flipped two pancakes and passed Emily over some chocolate chips. Emily grinned, popped four into her mouth and handed some to Rachel. She looked up at JJ to make sure it was okay. JJ smiled as she popped some into her mouth as well. Rachel mimicked her and swung her legs back and forth while she waited for the pancakes to be ready. Emily took to tapping her feet each time they passed near her and got Rachel giggling hysterically.

"Alright, cut it out you two, sit down." JJ said with a grin as she set out the plates full of pancakes. Emily caught Rachel's feet for the last time and pulled her forward, off of the counter. She plopped her down in the stool between herself and JJ and the three of them ate happily.

* * *

><p>Garcia squealed with delight as she watched Rachel twirl around in her new pink tutu. Garcia had gone slightly overboard. As soon as it was official – and to be perfectly honest once JJ had mentioned wanting Rachel – she had gone out and bought a bunch of adorable pink clothes. Most of them had to do with dance, and most of them she was more excited about than the seven year old. Emily and JJ had taken Rachel out to get her uniform and stopped by the bureau afterwords. As much as they had loved their days off, both women were getting antsy and wanted to at least drop by. Garcia was currently entertaining Rachel by having a dance party and bedazzling parts of her new uniform in her lair.<p>

"Garcia?" Rachel asked as she did another perfect pirouette.

"Yes my love?" Garcia asked as she placed some more pink shiny buttons onto Rachel's otherwise drab gray sweater.

"How long have you and Mrs. Emily and Mrs. JJ been friends?"

"Why do you call them Mrs?"

Rachel shrugged. "Cause they didn't like agent."

"Why would you call them agent?"

"Cause that's what they are."

"Yeah, but not to you."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked as she walked over to Garcia.

"Sweetie, they're agents at work, they're your parents otherwise." Garcia explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you want blue gems too?" She asked as she held up the sweater. Rachel scrunched up her nose and shook her head.

"No, there's too many already." She responded as she did another twirl. Garcia smiled as the little girl watched her skirt fly out happily rather than do her perfect dance moves that her father had drilled into her. "They're not my parents." Rachel said simply as she twirled again. "My mom's dead and my dad's in jail."

"Right, but...didn't Em and Jayje explain this to you?" Garcia asked anxiously. Rachel shook her head and twirled again, only swishing her skirt back and forth as she waited for Garcia to explain. Garcia sighed and looked at Rachel. "I don't know if I should be the one explaining this to you. But blood and DNA don't make families. Sometimes, you make your own family. The BAU, they are my family, so you're my family now too. If you want it, you've got two awesome moms, four very cool uncles, a cousin, and the most awesome aunt you will ever know." Garcia said as she wriggled her eyebrows at Rachel. The little girl smiled.

"You mean you?"

"Yes me!"

Rachel's smile faltered and she glanced down at the floor. "But, your not really my family. Its just pretend."

Garcia sighed. "No, its not pretend Monkey." Garcia insisted. "Emily and JJ love you already and they've only known you a little while, the longer they know you, the more they are going to love you. For the record, I totally love you too." She added with a grin. Rachel just stood quietly, contemplating Garcia's words. The blonde chose to let her think about it for a while. "Come on, lets go find Boy Wonder and my man, show off your new duds."

"What's a duds?" Rachel asked as she followed Garcia up to the bullpen.

"Clothes silly."

"Oh. Will Mr. Hotch and Mr. Dave be there?" Rachel asked worriedly as she followed close behind Garcia.

Garcia snorted at the names. "Yeah they will be, but I can promise you that they are total softies inside. Hotch only looks scary so he can make the bad guys afraid. He's really nice."

"Nice people aren't always nice. Nice is different than good." Rachel said, with words much wiser than her seven years.

"You're right, nice_ is _different than good. But I've known these people for a long time now, and they are _all_ good."

"Hey Curly Sue!" Morgan yelled out as he caught sight of the two of them. Rachel frowned and cocked her head in confusion.

"My name's Rachel." She said seriously.

Morgan laughed. "I know kid, its a nickname."

"Oh. Okay."

"Nice tutu." He said.

"Thanks." Rachel responded with a sheepish smile. "Garcia got it for me. Watch this." Rachel excitedly spun around, showing how the skirt flared up. Morgan laughed and smiled. "Do you like it?" She asked Morgan and Reid.

"Its very pretty Rachel." Reid said with an awkward grin. Rachel beamed at him and walked over to his desk.

"Do you have chess?" Rachel asked him excitedly.

"Yeah! Oh, but its on the jet actually." Reid said disappointed. Rachel pouted and slumped down onto Reid's desk. "Sorry." He apologized. Rachel dropped her head into her arms and groaned.

"What did you do to my child?" JJ demanded as she walked over to the clump of desks. Rachel didn't even lift her head up in acknowledgment. "Spence?" She half yelled.

"I don't have my chess set here." He stammered. "She's not crying is she?" She squeaked out, horrified.

"No I'm not crying! I'm not a baby!" Rachel yelled as she finally lifted her head up. JJ now caught the full attire that Rachel was wearing and gasped.

"Penelope. What. Did. You. Do?" JJ growled.

Garcia backed up slightly from JJ in fear as the blonde profiler placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. Garcia knew that look. That look did not mean good things. "I...she...she wanted it."

"No I didn't! Well I did, I mean I like it. Reid thinks I look pretty." Rachel stated proudly. "Don't you think I look pretty?" Rachel asked hopefully as she bit her lip.

JJ sighed and glared at Garcia. "I think you look beautiful sweetheart, but that isn't really something you can wear to school."

"But its my uniform." Rachel insisted.

"I just spruced it up a little." Garcia tried to explain. Emily came into the bullpen with Hotch and Rossi and burst out into laughter.

"Oh my god, you are never allowed to be alone with her again." Emily said through her laughter. "Please tell me you didn't do this to every uniform we bought."

"No, just this one." Garcia insisted.

"Do you like it Mrs. Emily?" Rachel asked. Emily nodded.

"You look very nice Rachel." Rossi said with a smile. Rachel gave him a quick one back and moved herself closer to JJ. Emily sighed as she watched Rachel tuck herself behind JJ and keep her head down. She gently patted Rossi on the back and smiled. Rachel would get used to them eventually, at least she hoped so.


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy New Year! Hopefully you all have a fantastic year ahead of you:) This one's short, but I have a nice long one for tomorrow:) Happy 2012!**

Emily watched Rachel pull at her tie for the third time that morning.

"Here." She said, motioning for Rachel to come over to her. "We can loosen it a little." Rachel stood absolutely still as Emily fixed the tie for her. "Feel better?" She asked. Rachel nodded and picked at her tights. Emily had to smile, the little girl was simply nervous, and fussing over every bit of her uniform that she could. Thankfully, Garcia had only bedazzled one sweater and put a few gems on the top of one skirt. The sweater had been the extra one JJ had insisted on buying along with the standard three anyway. Emily had let Rachel wear the skirt with the gems to make Rachel feel a little better. They're were only three of them, small and along the top and mostly covered by her sweater. You only saw them if you were really looking, but it put a tiny smile on Rachel's face, so Emily was all for it. Rachel had barely slept the last two nights. She had wet the bed both nights and had nightmares. The one the night before had been so bad that once Emily and JJ finally got her to calm down and get back to sleep, JJ had broken down crying as well.

"Hey Monkey, you hungry?" JJ asked with a cheerful smile as the two of them descended the stairs. Rachel shook her head grumpily. "You've got to eat something sweetie." JJ insisted.

"My tummy hurts." Rachel moaned. JJ glanced at Emily. Rachel was never whinny, she behaved so well that is was frightening. Especially when the two women knew it was because she was too afraid to anger anyone. So for Rachel to be grumbling and admitting something was wrong, she must be extremely nervous.

"Its probably because it wants some food."

"No its not. It doesn't want to go to school." Rachel complained. JJ had to bit back a laugh. Perhaps it was just that she hadn't seen it yet, but a whinny Rachel was quite adorable.

"Rach, remember that today you get to spend most of the morning with just your tutor and that way she will explain everything and you won't need to feel nervous." Emily explained as she took the plate of scrambled eggs from JJ and put it in front of Rachel. The little girl picked at it with her fork, barely putting any of it in her mouth.

"Can't we stay here today?" Rachel asked quietly.

Emily glanced up at JJ who looked very much like she would cave and say yes in an instant. Emily frowned, she would love to go back upstairs, get back in her pjs and spend the day at home with JJ and Rachel, but they had to get her into a routine sometime, and now was that time.

"No sweetie, JJ and I have to go back to work and you've got to go to school, but we will both be there to pick you up today at 3:30, and maybe we can go out to dinner or something to celebrate!"

"Celebrate what?" Rachel asked. JJ took the opportunity while Rachel was distracted to gently shove the spoonful of eggs Rachel had been holding midair for about five minutes into her mouth. Emily grinned as Rachel ate them, barely even noticing that JJ was pretty much feeding her.

"You going to your very first day of school! Its an important event."

"Weaaly?" Rachel asked, her mouth full as JJ stuffed another bite in.

"Really." Emily insisted. "Rach, its gonna be great, you can get books to read, and play at recess with the other kids and learn all this interesting stuff."

"And how long will I be there?" Rachel asked as JJ lifted her down from the stool.

"From 8:30 to 3:30." The blonde answered, holding out Rachel's coat for her to stick her arms into.

"How many hours is that?"

"Seven."

"How many minutes?"

JJ frowned, math had never been her strong suit. "Umm...a lot." Rachel pouted as JJ bent down to button up her coat. "Here, I'll ask Spence." JJ said. Rachel stood waiting, her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently – looking very much like an annoyed JJ, Emily noted – while JJ texted Reid. "He says 420 and have a wonderful first day." JJ announced as Emily passed her coat to her.

"That's a lot?"

"It is. But it will be fun. Reid loved school, he'll love to hear all about it."

"Fine." Rachel grumbled as she followed them out to the car. JJ grinned and met Emily's eyes as her wife opened the door and waited to make sure Rachel was buckled into her booster seat properly. The seven year old hadn't been all that thrilled about the seating arrangement at first, and she clearly had high hopes that it would go away, but JJ was adamant about her sitting in it. Rachel made a face every time she opened the door and it was still where she left it, but she never complained about it.

The drive to the school was quiet. Rachel was nervous, and Emily and JJ had pretty much talked school up to the best of their abilities. Honestly, both of them were nervous as well. They had no idea how it was going to go for Rachel, she was very behind, she got extremely flustered if she felt stupid or inadequate in anyway, and both of them knew very well how cruel kids could be. They climbed out and Rachel stared up at the large brick building.

"You'll be here at 3:30?" Rachel whispered.

"On the dot." Emily said. She wouldn't allow them to be a second late, she had already warned Hotch that she would be leaving in time no matter what.

"Okay." Rachel said. Emily noticed her demeanor change. She shifted her backpack, stood up straight, and took a deep breath. "See you in 419 minutes."

JJ laughed and went to give Rachel a hug, but she quickly sidestepped it. Not showing that she was hurt, JJ just smiled and gave her a tiny wave while Emily wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist. They stood waiting while they watched Rachel walk up the steps and be greeted by her tutor.

"Only 418 minutes." JJ whispered to Emily. "We can handle that right?"

"Yeah." Emily answered rather unconvincingly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy 2012 everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic year ahead of you. To start it off, here is a very long chapter for you all. Longest I've ever written. Its a bit of a turning point for these three, it took a lot out of me to write. Thank you guys so much for all the comments and feedback so far, it means a lot that you are enjoying it:) Hope you like this next chapter...**

_** "**A DEFINITION NOT FOUND**  
><strong>IN THE DICTIONARY**  
>Not leaving:<strong> an act of trust and love,**  
><strong>often deciphered by children"_

_ -Markus Zusak (The Book Thief)_

Rachel sat down and tucked her knees up into her chest, her eyes full of tears. She was cold, she was scared and she was tired. The little girl pulled a twig out of her curly hair and let out a small sob. Looking around, she had no idea where she was and she felt very much alone.

* * *

><p>Emily tapped her pencil onto her desk impatiently waiting for the clock to move just enough that she could get her coat, find JJ and get the hell out of the bullpen. Her first day back had been in a word – long. They didn't have a case, she should have been thrilled, but really she was just antsy and bored. She spent every minute thinking about what Rachel was doing. Did she feel safe? Was she getting along with her tutor? Did she play with other kids at recess? Did she feel included? Emily knew what it felt like to be the new kid in school, with her mother's postings, it was never ending. Emily had learned to keep her head down, not bother making to many friends and rely only on herself. That attitude had stuck with her throughout adulthood. Without her upbringing, she might have gotten together with JJ much sooner, the attraction had certainly been there the first day. Even now Emily had a hard time truly opening up all the time. She had only finally told JJ everything that had happened with Doyle after she was 'dead'. Having to come off of that, to have JJ finally know everything there was to know about her and still love her, Emily had learned that true trust was in fact possible. There were people who would always do everything they possibly could to be there for you. It was all a person could ever ask for and Emily was determined to share her newfound information with a certain seven year old.<p>

The minutes dragged on, JJ didn't appear to be faring any better than Emily. In fact, if people were simply going on appearances, Emily would seem rather calm, while JJ was irritable and stressed.

Fifteen minutes.

Emily stood up and pulled on her coat quickly, catching JJ's attention. JJ had given up looking at the clock as it had clearly been broken and hadn't moved once since they arrived at 9:00 that morning, according to the blonde anyway. 420 minutes was – as Rachel had said – an incredibly long time if you were anticipating the end of it. JJ leapt out of her seat and grabbed her coat, putting it on as she sprinted out of the bullpen.

"See you tonight guys!" She yelled, knowing that Emily was right behind her.

"Jen, you are not driving." Emily said sternly as they reached the parking lot.

"Excuse me? Are you my wife or my mother?" JJ asked, irritated. If Emily hadn't known her for over five years – three of those in marriage – she might be flustered by JJ's mood swings; instead she smiled, kissed the blonde and stole the keys out of her hands. JJ frowned as Emily jumped into the driver's seat, closed the door, and stuck her tongue out like a child. "Seriously?" JJ asked as she climbed into the passengers seat.

"You drive very scarily when you are like this, and us getting pulled over will make us late. We promised, 3:30 on the dot."

"Exactly why you need to speed."

"We have plenty of time."

"I will flash the lights if you don't start going faster right now." JJ warned, completely serious. Emily hesitated a moment, to gauge if JJ was joking or not. When it became apparent that JJ was in fact, totally serious, Emily hit the gas. "What if something went wrong? What if she hated it? School sucks, I can't believe we told her it would be fun!"

"JJ, if something had gone wrong, Liz would have called us." Emily said trying to calm her wife – and herself – down at the same time. She had made Liz promise, more than once, to call for anything. She had a feeling Liz would try to handle it first and only call if it was something big. Emily pushed on the gas a little more.

They pulled into a front parking spot for drop offs and pick ups and ran out of the car. JJ noticed her first. "There!" She pointed. Rachel was sitting away from a few other girls, looking a little older than her on the front steps. At JJ's exclamation, the little brunette looked up and her face broke out into relief. She picked up her backpack and ran, holding onto one strap as she dragged it across the ground towards the two women.

"You only took 418 minutes!" She stated happily as she came to a full stop a foot or so away from them.

"We promised didn't we?" JJ asked her beaming. She was itching to reach down and pick Rachel up, but from the way the girl was shifting her weight from one foot to another JJ knew she was anxious. Emily picked up the fallen backpack to notice it was considerably heavier than it had been this morning.

"Did you get a lot of homework?" She asked as she slung it over one shoulder. Rachel nodded quickly and turned back to look at the school.

"They gave me lots of books. But they're not all stories. Some of them have math in them. I don't think I like math."

"Me either." JJ muttered under her breath.

Emily chuckled and pinched JJ lightly. "Come on, lets get home and you can tell us all about it okay?" She directed them to the car, and waved to Liz who was at the front door of the school. JJ followed right behind Rachel, staying to watch as the little girl buckled herself in, then finally climbing into the car herself. Emily had to bit back a laugh as JJ twisted her body so she could look around to the back seat.

"So how was it?" JJ asked. "Do you like your tutor?"

"Yeah, she's nice." Rachel answered simply. "My teacher is a boy, Mr. Carter, he's not very old and he talks funny."

"Funny like a joke or funny strange?" Emily asked.

"Funny like he sounds weird."

"How so?"

"Like he says words different then me. He told me that he's from Boston. He's a Southie."

"Oh, that is an accent Rach, people speak in different accents in different regions of the world."

"Oh, well I like how he talks." Rachel said kicking her legs back and forth. "Can we eat food?" She asked.

JJ smiled. "Sure, I can make you a snack when we get home. Remember we mentioned going out to dinner to celebrate?" Rachel nodded. "Well, we invited the team, we're going to meet them at the restaurant in two hours. They're all really excited to hear about your first day, Spence especially."

"Why do you call Dr. Reid Spence?" Rachel asked.

"Because his name is Spencer."

"And that's his nickname?"

"Yeah, one of them I guess."

"Mrs. JJ?" Rachel asked. JJ sighed at the use of the 'Mrs.' She hated it, she knew Emily didn't love it either. While it was cute, she knew Rachel did it to distance herself from them.

"What Monkey?" JJ asked, hopping that if she used nicknames and goofed around enough, Rachel would soon feel comfortable doing the same.

"Is JJ a nickname?"

"Yes it is."

"Is your real name Jen? Mrs. Emily calls you that sometimes."

Emily bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at the curious tone in Rachel's voice.

"Yes, my full name is Jennifer Jareau, but I never really like Jennifer, so most people call me JJ. I'm only Jennifer when my mom is angry."

Rachel laughed. "I think its pretty."

"Well thank you."

"But I like JJ better."

"So do I."

"How come at work your Agent Jareau, but at my school when you talked to the lady you were Mrs. Prentiss?"

"Do you mean Liz? I mean, Ms. Jones?" Emily asked, correcting herself. Rachel nodded.

"Because when Em and I got married, I changed my name to Prentiss, but for work, it would get confusing to have two Prentiss'. We're in a hurry a lot and its just easier to keep Jareau."

"Oh." Rachel said, as she climbed down out of the car. She tried to yank her backpack off of the seat and the momentum she built up sent her sprawling backwards and right into JJ. "Sorry!" Rachel yelled, worriedly. "I couldn't...I didn't mean to.."

"Its fine sweetie. I'm okay. Here let me carry it." JJ said, reassuring Rachel that she was fine. Truthfully, that had been quite an impact, and she made a face as soon as Rachel wasn't looking. Emily caught it and grinned, leading Rachel into the house. "Oh shut up." JJ told her cynically as she rubbed her stomach at the spot where it had recently collided with a very solid little head.

"Me?" Rachel asked, horrified.

"No! Emily."

"Why does she need to shut up?" Rachel asked, looking up at the older brunette.

"Nothing sweetie, what do you want for a snack?" JJ asked, quickly changing the subject.

"May I please have a banana with peanut butter on it?"

"Yes you may." JJ said happily. When her mom finally met Rachel – which she was calling and begging JJ to arrange almost every waking hour – she was going to love how polite the little girl was. Rachel climbed up – unsuccessfully and with Emily's help – onto one of the countertop stools and began emptying her backpack. She showed them every single thing inside of it, even the notebooks and pencils that Emily and JJ had bought her and put in it that morning.

"I have to do this worksheet and read this for tomorrow." Rachel said, showing it to Emily. She nervously picked at one of the gems on her skirt. "But um...Judy says that I have to ask for help reading. But if you're busy I can do it myself, I promise!" She added quickly.

"We'd love to help Rach, its what we're here for." Emily said with a smile.

"Can we read it now?" Rachel asked as she took a huge bite of her banana.

"Sure." Emily answered with a smile.

JJ headed upstairs to change while Emily read with Rachel, she needed out of this skirt now. Her phone rang and she glanced at the caller id, her mother – again. "Hi Mom." She answered it as she yanked the blouse over her head.

"Hi Jenny, how was your day?"

"Fine. And its still no."

"Jennifer Anne Jareau! You cannot tell me that I am finally, _finally,_ getting a grandchild and not let me see her! I am your mother and so help me god..."

"Mom! Soon I promise, she's not even comfortable with Em and I yet, I don't want to freak her out."

"How would I 'freak her out'?"

"Have you met you? When it comes to kids, you're worse than two Garcia's put together."

"Jenny, I don't really appreciate being spoken to like that."

"Mom!" JJ yelled, exasperated. "I promise, soon. Maybe next weekend."

"Jenny! Its monday, you expect me to wait that long to..."

"Maybe this weekend, I don't know Mom, its a touchy situation. Don't you remember everything I explained?"

"Yes, it's awful and I'd rather not think about it."

"Well, she lived it. She can't help but think about it so we have to be patient. Its hard enough without you calling to bother me every five minutes."

"Well, I hope that when she is 33 she tells you to stop bothering her." Mary Jareau said in a very annoyed tone. JJ sighed and flopped herself down onto the bed.

"Mom, I'm sorry, you're not bothering me I'm just...this is _hard_." She insisted. "And scary, and weird, and I think I'm doing everything wrong."

"Oh sweetie, every parent thinks that."

"No but..."

Mary cut her daughter off. "Jenny, when I had you and your sister I was terrified. I had no idea what I was doing, no mother does. You just do what feels right and cross your fingers."

"I miss her." JJ whispered softly.

"Me too sweetheart, everyday." Mary said back.

Both women were silent for a moment or two, then JJ spoke up her greatest fear. "Mom? What if Rachel..."

"Don't go there Jennifer. I mean it. Don't you dare even allow yourself to think it. You focus on that little girl and your wife – whom I would like to see as well thank you very much – and nothing else. What Hannah did has nothing to do with Rachel. Love her and she will be alright."

"But we loved Hannah and...Mom you were the best mother and she still..."

"She made a decision that I will never forgive myself for, but she would be furious with you if you allowed yourself to worry about it. Now, I don't want to talk about this anymore, how did her first day go?"

JJ sighed, she was used to her mother changing the subject rather quickly when her sister was brought up. Truthfully, JJ could only talk about her so much before it hurt too much also. "I think it went okay. She's downstairs doing her homework with Emily right now, we're going to go out to dinner to celebrate with the team in about an hour."

"She can see the team but not her own grandmother?" Mary said with a laugh, but a little annoyance.

"Mom, this weekend if we don't have a case, I promise alright?"

"I will hold you to that young lady."

"I know you will."

"I love you sweetheart."

"I know, I love you too Mom." JJ said as she hung up the phone and noticed a little girl in a bright pink tutu standing in the doorway. "Well hello, are you planing on wearing that this evening?" JJ asked with a small laugh. Rachel nodded and fidgeted with her fingers nervously.

"Garcia will like it right?"

"Garcia will love it."

"Mrs. Emily told me to come get you, that's why I'm here. I wasn't trying to bother you."

"You're not bothering me." JJ insisted.

"We're you on the phone with your mom?"

"Yes I was, she was asking when she gets to meet you. She's very excited."

"To meet me?" Rachel asked curiously. JJ nodded. "Why?"

"Because she has wanted me to give her grandchildren for a very long time." JJ said with a groan. Rachel frowned and watched JJ get up to find some jeans. The little girl averted her eyes politely as JJ stripped out of her skirt and into the jeans. "Would that be okay with you?" She asked, walking over to Rachel. "To meet my parents? Maybe this weekend?"

"Okay." Rachel said softly, not meeting JJ's eyes. "What does your mom look like?" She asked a moment later. JJ walked over to her dresser and picked a photo down to show Rachel. It was of JJ and her mother at the wedding in Vegas. JJ was beaming in the stunning wedding dress Garcia had picked while sitting on her mother's lap, Mary's arms tightly around her daughter. It was one of JJ's favorite photos. "She's really pretty. She looks like you!" Rachel said happily as she looked up to JJ. JJ beamed and looked at the photo again before placing it back on the dresser.

"Thank you." She said as she motioned for Rachel to follow her.

"I don't look like my mom did. She had red hair and sorta tannish skin. I look like my dad." Rachel said simply as the two of them walked downstairs. JJ found her breath hitch at the word, 'mom'. It was insane how much she wanted to hear that word coming from Rachel's mouth addressing her.

"Well, you look very pretty Rach." JJ said giving her a smile. "How was the homework? Do you need anymore help?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Nope! We did my worksheet and read the history stuff. Did you know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue? But he didn't actually discover America, people made that up. He did go sailing though, have you ever been on a boat? I want to see a dolphin. Or learn how to swim, I think it would be scary cause of sharks. One time, when we were at a hotel, this huge shark was on tv and it was eating people! I think dolphins don't eat people but maybe in 1492 they did. That was called 'The Middle Ages'." Rachel spoke very quickly that JJ had to laugh at how adorable an eager and babbling little girl she was. It was wonderful to see her excited and happy about knowing something. Rachel waited and JJ realized she was expecting her to answer the questions that had been somewhere in there.

"Oh, um...yes I have been on a boat, I do remember hearing something about Columbus, and dolphins definitely don't eat people, I don't think they ever have. You don't know how to swim?"

"No." Rachel said as she looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

"Ah, well I happen to be an excellent swimmer, so is Emily. When it gets warmer, we can teach you at my parents house, they've got a great pool."

"Maybe. If I'm still here." Rachel said as they walked back into the kitchen. Emily looked up, catching the tail end of the conversation.

_'If she's still here?'_ She mouthed to JJ. JJ just shook her head. "You'll definitely be here, thats only a few months away. Is there any other homework you have to do before tomorrow?"

"Just read at least five pages of any book I want. I told Judy that Emily gave me Wizard of Oz, and she says thats perfect as long as I read some of the words myself."

"I told her we could read before she goes to bed." Emily explained.

"Okay, great, you guys ready to go eat?"

* * *

><p>Hotch watched hiding a smile as Rachel explained all about Columbus to Reid. It was taking everything the young man had not to stop Rachel and correct some of the information that she was giving him. He was doing his best to simply sit and listen intently, much to Hotch's amusement. Rachel barely looked over at Hotch or Rossi, every time she did, she would do her best not to meet their eyes. He was happy to see that Rachel appeared to be more comfortable with Emily and JJ than she had been only a few days before, painting her room. Jack was sitting next to Rachel, interjecting whenever he knew something he thought was interesting as well. Luckily, the two children seemed to get along and having Jack around made Rachel a little less wary of him and the other adults in general.<p>

JJ and Garcia got up to go use the restroom before everyone paid and left for the night. Rachel and Jack were busy playing some sort of coin game with Reid while Morgan supervised. Emily, Hotch and Rossi went to pay the rest of the bill, keeping an eye on them.

"How did you do that?" Jack asked, astonished as Reid made the coin disappear.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Reid said with a smile.

"You're not a magician you're an FBI agent." Rachel said matter of factly. Morgan snorted and ruffled Rachel's hair, much to her annoyance and discomfort. He quickly pulled his hand back, fearful of ruining the progress he had been making with her all night. "I need to use the bathroom." Rachel told him.

"Do you need me to take you?" Morgan asked, somewhat uncomfortably.

"No. I'm seven." Rachel stated with annoyance.

"Oh, okay, well its right through there, JJ and Garcia are in there."

"I know!" Rachel said as she stalked off in the correct direction. Reid just smirked at Morgan, who in turn whacked him on the back of the head lightly.

"You can't hit Uncle Derek!" Jack scolded. "You have to use your words."

"The words I want to use I can't use while your listening." Morgan said through gritted teeth as Reid simply laughed.

* * *

><p>Rachel huffed as she opened the door to the ladies room. It was a weird fancy place and she didn't like it one bit. A bunch of women were sitting in a room with a couch and a mirror laughing with each other. Confused, Rachel looked around and didn't see any bathroom stalls or sinks.<p>

"Kid?" A woman in her early twenties caught her attention. "They're through there." She pointed.

"Thank you." Rachel said as she quickly walked away from them. She didn't see JJ or Garcia. The stall at the end of the line was free and Rachel headed over to it. Locking it securely. Her tutu proved to be a little difficult to sit down with, so she just took it all the way off and hung it up on the coat hanger on the door. As Rachel was flushing the toilet and trying to get herself back into her tutu, she recognized Garcia's voice.

"Can they do that? Make her testify?" Garcia asked.

"I don't know. I just can't believe that his lawyer is saying he still holds parental rights. He murdered over twelve women, and abused Rachel for years, there is no way he is a more fit parent then Emily and I." JJ said, frusturated. Rachel paused, one leg in the tutu, one out and listened. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she didn't like the sound of it one bit.

"So, you guys can't get custody of her? She has to go back to him?"

"The lawyer said if he wins – which he won't there is too much evidence against him – he can still retain his rights. He should automatically lose them, but technically, he should be forced to sign them over. Otherwise, if we don't want her, she'll go into foster care."

Rachel began to cry. The voices of JJ and Garcia began trailing off and she couldn't hear them anymore. They had clearly walked away from the sinks and out of range, but Rachel didn't care. She didn't want to hear anymore anyway. They had _lied_. They didn't want her. She was going to have to go back to her father. They didn't care.

Rachel yanked her tutu up roughly and bolted out of the stall, running past the sinks and the weird room with the couch and out of the restroom. She didn't look around for anyone, just ran to the back exit she had seen as she had gone into the bathrooms. Rachel pushed the heavy door open roughly and continued running. She was _not_ going to go back and live with her father. She was _not_ going to go live with more grown ups who lied to her. She would run away, like Peter Pan. A car screeched to a stop, narrowly missing Rachel. Terrified, she backed up and ran faster and faster down the sidewalk. She had no idea where she was and she didn't care. She just wanted to be away.

* * *

><p>"Its a stupid formality, basically, he can't win and when he loses we can petition to get full custody of her. Since he is being a jerk about it, it just takes longer. I can't believe the gall of the lawyer to ask 'if we want her'? That fucktard. Of course we want her." JJ said forcefully as she and Garcia made their way out of the restroom and back to the group. "I just can't believe how pissed off it makes me. He never wanted her, he just doesn't want us to have her."<p>

"Well, too bad for him." Garcia said giving JJ's back a loving rub.

"Yeah, too fucking bad for him." JJ smiled. "Pen, I totally love her already. Like...way more than I ever thought possible."

"I know. Its written all over your face when you look at her." Garcia said with a smile. "Its adorable. And I'm crazy happy for you Jayje."

The two blondes embraced as the group came up to meet them. "Where's Rachel?" Morgan asked them.

"What?" JJ asked, confused.

"Rachel, didn't you see her in the bathroom?"

"No." JJ said a little worriedly.

"It was really busy in there, she probably just slipped past us." Garcia reassured her. "Let's just check." JJ nodded as she and Emily followed Garcia back the way they had just come. They walked into the bathrooms, JJ shivering as she noticed the back exit door open. Annoyed, she crossed her arms and tried to warm herself up a little. The three women looked everywhere. Rachel wasn't in the powder room, and they waited as people moved into the stalls until they had seen someone come out of each of them. None of them were Rachel. JJ began to grow increasingly nervous. "Maybe she went into the boys?" Garcia offered up, sensing the growing panic coming from Emily and JJ.

"Why would she do that?" JJ asked.

"Maybe she looked at the sign wrong."

"No, she's not here." Emily stated. "Let's go check with the guys, maybe she somehow slipped past us."

Hotch glanced up and saw the frantic look on JJ's face as she searched between all of them. He got an ominous feeling as he looked from JJ's face, to Garcia's and finally to Emily's. In all of his years working with Emily Prentiss, she had been a hard person to read, but right now, he got what she was feeling loud and clear; terrified. He quickly reached down and took Jack's hand, standing upright, ready to take control of the situation as best he could.

"You couldn't find her?" He asked, knowing the answer. JJ shook her head and began to nervously fidgeted as she scanned the room, searching for the little girl she thought of as her daughter. "Okay, lets not panic just yet, she may have come out and not seen us. Morgan, go back to our table and check and see if she went there. Rossi, go check with the hostess, Reid, find our waiter, Garcia, go back and check the bathrooms one more time, ask in the men's as well. Emily and JJ, both of you stay right here by the door, its in sight of most of the restaurant, she might see you."

"What about me Daddy?" Jack asked.

"You come help me, we're going to look in the back in case Rachel got lost." Hotch glanced up and caught Emily's eye. He gave her a tight nod. Children got lost easily in big places, Rachel had to be here somewhere. He wouldn't accept anything less.

* * *

><p>Rachel was freezing. She couldn't run anymore. She had fallen down twice and ripped part of her tutu which was now dirt stained. She was going to look for a hotel and sneak into a bed, she had done that once last year when her father had forgotten her for two days. But Rachel couldn't find any hotels. Her second idea had been to find a nightclub. She could maybe dance and they would give her some money and directions to a hotel. The little girl couldn't find any of those either. She seemed to have run from the streets with restaurants and stores to streets that just had houses. The only other idea Rachel had come up with, was to find a house with a tree-fort or something in the backyard. She could sleep there for tonight and figure something else out for tomorrow. These houses all looked big, she was sure that the people who lived in them were rich. Rich people who wanted their kids around. Rich people who hugged their kids goodnight instead of hitting them. Happy people, who didn't lie.<p>

Rachel was tired. So, so, tired. She felt like she had been running forever and she just wanted to sit down. A big white house near the end of the street had a lot of trees in its backyard. Rachel tip toed back there and ran into the trees. She sat down at the bottom of one and tucked her knees up into her chest, crying.

* * *

><p>"She's seven, umm...she weighs, I think a little over fifty pounds, she's tiny. She had shoulder length, curly, dark brown hair, pale skin, freckles, blue-green eyes...umm.." JJ trailed off, loosing the battle of keeping the tears inside of her. She felt Emily wrap her arm more tightly around her waist and speak up.<p>

"Here, I've got a picture on my phone." Emily said, pulling it out and showing the officer. She felt a lot like crying herself, but nothing would come. She couldn't feel anything, she was numb. Rachel was so little and she had failed. They had lost her. They were the parents they so often interviewed. Terrified, worried, panicking. She thanked the officer as he moved over to talk to Hotch.

"We'll find her guys." Morgan said forcefully. Jack's aunt had come and gotten him about twenty minutes ago and the restaurant was now full of police officers. A young cook had remembered seeing a kid near the back exit, which caused JJ to remember the door. They had all deduced that Rachel had left the restaurant, though no one knew why. Had she left on her own? Had someone taken her? Emily was imagining all sorts of things that made her want to vomit. Rossi and Hotch were talking with the officers, explaining who they were and that they would most certainly be involved in looking for Rachel. The officers seemed to have no problem with it, except for Emily and JJ. Worried parents never made for much help in situations like this. Hotch knew better than to even suggest they go home, so he ordered JJ to go with Morgan, and Emily with Rossi. Garcia was already back at the BAU, doing whatever computer thing she needed to do, while Hotch and Reid climbed into an SUV.

"Do you think someone took her, or do you think she ran away?" Reid asked softly as they began to drive around the streets, looking for a little girl in thousands of people.

"She seemed to be in a good mood. I don't know why she would run." Hotch stated.

"Yeah, I thought that too." Reid said, his frown increasing.

"We'll find her." Hotch stated firmly. They had to or they would have two completely broken agents on their hands.

* * *

><p>Rachel heard harsh barking, she whimpered and turned around. She did her best to scramble up into the tree as a dog came barreling into the backyard. It came right up under the tree and barked so loudly Rachel tried to cover her ears. She lost her grip and started to fall out of the tree. Rachel screamed.<p>

"Who's there? Max? What are you barking at?" A young boy's voice yelled out. "Max!" Rachel whimpered and clung to the tree branch, trying to get her foot back up around it. "Hey!" The voice yelled, much closer now. "What are you doing in our yard?"

Rachel tried to get back up into the tree but she was too tired to hold on, she was slipping.

"Max! Stop it." The boy, about thirteen, reached out and grabbed the dog's collar. "He won't hurt you, he's just wondering why you're in our tree. Why _are_ you?"

Rachel didn't answer, but she finally lost her grip and fell from the tree, landing with a thud on the cold, hard, wet ground. She began to cry.

"Holy crap, you're just a little kid." The boy said, holding Max back. "DAD!" He yelled. "THERE'S A LITTLE GIRL OUT HERE! I THINK SHE'S HURT!" Rachel held her wrist and sobbed as a light came out from the house and shinned all through the yard. The boy studied her. "She's all dirty! DAD!" He yelled again.

"I'm coming. Oh god." The man said, coming up to them and seeing Rachel cower away from him. "Honey! Call 911!" He yelled out. "It's okay sweetie, you're alright, do you want to come inside?"

Rachel shook her head and tried to get up and run, but she was so tired and she just wanted to lay down. She dropped her head to the ground, and fell unconscious. She barely felt it as the man bent down and gently lifted her up into his arms, cradling her into his body as he walked quickly into the house. Sirens blaring off in the distance.

* * *

><p>"Guys, there is a 911 call from Ruthford. A family found a little girl in their yard, she matches Rachel's description." Garcia said quickly over the phone to Hotch and Reid. She had been afraid to call either Morgan and Rossi in fear of getting her girls hopes up.<p>

"Okay, we're close, we will head over there, don't tell the others yet. We'll check and see if its her first." Hotch said firmly. He flicked on his sirens and hit the gas, praying it was Rachel, and that she was alright.

* * *

><p>Morgan drove, his eyes scanning everything in sight. <em>Pink tutu, pink tutu, pink tutu<em>. He kept chanting in his head, praying he would see one and it would be attached to a perfectly fine Rachel. He glanced to his side and looked at JJ. The blonde was a nervous wreak. She was twisting her hair and frantically scanning the streets, tears in her eyes. Morgan had no idea what to say to comfort her. Everything would be fine? Bullshit, he didn't know that. He had no idea what she was feeling. He chose to stay silent and do what he did best, his job. He was going to find that little girl if it killed him, because otherwise, it might just kill JJ.

* * *

><p>Rossi glanced over to the passengers seat and caught Emily bitting her nails down to the nubs. "You don't want to hug her with bleeding fingers." He said, trying to make any part of the situation light. Emily gave him a small – totally fake – smile and clasped her hands together in her lap.<p>

"We have to find her Dave." She whispered.

"We will." He stated firmly. He had every confidence they would find Rachel, they were all very good at their jobs; he just didn't know what condition the little girl would be in when they did.

"I haven't said 'I love you' to her yet. I mean we've said that we're going to take care of her, and we want her and all that. But I haven't actually said the words to her yet. My mom hardly ever said them to me. I was gonna say them to her all the time. I do Dave. I do love her. If she...we _have _to find her."

Rossi's phone rang and he quickly hit it off speakerphone, he had no idea what this news could bring. "Hello?"

"Rossi, we've got her. She ran all the way to Ruthford." Hotch's voice said quickly.

"Is she alright?" Rossi asked. Emily's head snapped around to him, her eyes wide and fearful, waiting for his response.

"Reid is riding along with her to the hospital right now, I'm trailing behind the ambulance. The EMTs think she's fine, just feverish and tired, they just want to be sure, she passed out."

"What hospital?" Rossi asked, seeing the panic that word set into Emily out of the corner of his eye.

"Mercy."

"Okay, we're close, we'll meet you there. Do JJ and Morgan know?"

"Garcia is calling them as we speak."

"Alright, meet you there." Rossi said as he hung up the phone, clicked on the flashing lights, spun the car around and hit the gas. "She's alright, they are taking her to the hospital just to be safe. She was at a house in Ruthford."

"What happened? Did someone take her?"

"No, doesn't look like it. That's all Hotch said."

"Hurry up!" Emily yelled.

"I'm going eighty-six."

"Go ninety-eight." Emily growled. Rossi hit the gas, knowing better than to fuck with Emily Prentiss when she sounded like that.

* * *

><p>Rachel whimpered as she saw men she didn't know hovering over her. They were putting things over her mouth, and sticking needles into her. Needles! She screamed and kicked her legs out.<p>

"Rachel, Rachel, you're okay, its Reid. Dr. Reid. Spencer, hey, hey, you're okay they're just trying to help you. They're paramedics. Do you know what paramedics do?" Reid asked trying to get Rachel to calm down. He knew that Hotch had made him ride with the ambulance because Rachel was still afraid of Hotch but he would have been much better equipped to comfort a scarred child.

"I don't want to be here Spence." Rachel whimpered.

"I know. Hey, we're on our way to a hospital and Emily and JJ will be there soon too okay."

"NO!" Rachel yelled. "I DON'T WANT THEM!"

Reid, totally unsure of what to do now, just held Rachel's hand and tried to make shushing sounds. That had absolutely no effect whatsoever besides the paramedic next to him looking at Reid oddly. He resorted to telling Rachel random facts about Doctor Who time travel. That appeared to do the trick as long as no one came at her with a needle. Reid was relieved when they arrived at the hospital. Rachel refused to let go of Reid's hand, and kicked – and bit – all the nurses who tried to get an IV in. Reid really hopped Emily and JJ would get there soon.

* * *

><p>JJ sprinted through the halls of the hospital, Morgan right behind her, the nurse had said Rachel was in room 204. As JJ turned the corner to Rachel's hallway, she saw Emily and Rossi coming from the other side. Relief flooded through her at the sight of her wife and she ran to her, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. "Have you seen her?" She asked tearfully. Emily shook her head and clung to JJ.<p>

"No, we just got up here, Hotch called and said they are in 204."

"Guys." Morgan said, getting their attention. Hotch came out of the room and smiled at them.

"She's in here. And she is _not_ a fan of needles." He said with a small laugh. "Otherwise, she's okay. Just tired."

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, she wouldn't really say, but she ran away, no one was with her. You can go in, she won't let Reid come out."

Emily and JJ quickly stepped into the room anxiously to see Rachel holding tightly to Reid's hand and glaring at the nurse next to her. "If you touch me again, Spence will shoot you with his gun!" Rachel growled out. "I mean it! He is my friend and he will shoot you! See, he's gun is right there. Point that somewhere else!" She yelled motioning to the IV. "It's not going in me!"

"Guess you're not the only one in the family who terrorizes nurses." JJ whispered to Emily.

"Hey." Emily responded, catching Reid's attention.

"Oh thank god! Hey Rachel look!"

Rachel turned and noticed Emily and JJ. Both woman began to move forward to hug her when she yelled, even more fiercely than she had to the nurse. "GO AWAY, I HATE YOU!" JJ froze, gripping Emily's hand tightly in shock. "I MEAN IT! SPENCE, SHOOT THEM!"

"Rachel..." Reid began.

"MAKE THEM LEAVE! I HATE THEM!" Rachel yelled. "GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Confused, hurt and still worried, Emily and JJ backed out of the room, somehow, more upset than when they had gone in. Garcia had arrived, and the whole group had heard Rachel's demands. Bewildered, JJ began to cry. "What happened?" She moaned into Emily's shoulder. "Today was going so well."

Emily was just as confused and hurt as JJ. She turned back and looked into the room. Rachel was pouting and whispering something fiercely to Reid. "I have no idea."

"Oh god! I think I know!" Garcia exclaimed.

"What?" Emily asked.

"The bathrooms Jayje!" Garcia yelled. JJ lifted her head up and wiped away some tears, not understanding what Garcia was talking about. "I was asking you about the trial, she had to go to the bathroom, she must have come in and heard you. She probably freaked."

"But...but I didn't say..."

"She probably only heard the beginning Jayje, when you said she would have to go back to foster care if you guys didn't want her."

"What!" Emily yelled.

"Oh shit." JJ moaned. "I was explaining what Frankie Gallagher's fuck of a lawyer said."

"We have to go in there and explain." Emily said quickly, grabbing JJ's hand and leading her back into the room. Emily ignored Rachel's screams. "Reid, can you give us a minute?" She asked. The scrawny man nodded and pulled his hand gently out of Rachel's death grip.

"I HATE YOU TOO DR. REID. I'M NEVER CALLING YOU SPENCE AGAIN!" Rachel yelled as he left the room.

"Rachel, you need to calm down and listen to us." Emily said as she moved into Reid's now vacant seat.

"No I do not." Rachel pouted. "You are not in charge of me."

"Yes we are." JJ said forcefully as she sat down on the edge of Rachel's bed, next to Emily.

"I'll kick you." Rachel warned.

"No you will not." JJ said firmly.

"Yes I will too! I hate you."

"Rachel, did you hear Penelope and I talking in the bathrooms earlier tonight?" JJ asked as Emily took hold of her hand. Rachel nodded her head violently and crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning at the both of them. "Rach, I don't think you heard the whole thing."

"Don't call me that." Rachel stated angrily.

"What?"

"Rach. You are not my friend anymore and you don't get to call me a nickname, _Jennifer_." Rachel spat out JJ's name harshly. JJ bit back tears as Emily spoke up.

"Rachel, you can't speak to JJ like that."

"Yes I can, I hate her and I hate you too. You're _not_ my moms, you don't get to tell me what to do."

"You're right Rachel." JJ said softly, catching Rachel and Emily of guard. Emily looked at her wife, confused. "We're not your mothers, not yet, but we want to be. You only heard a little part of a conversation, you didn't hear the rest. The part you missed was me telling Garcia that there is _no way_, Emily and I are going to let Frankie have you back. And that he can't make you go into foster care. He is trying to make it harder for us to adopt you, but there isn't anything he can do about it. I was telling Garcia what his lawyer said, not what I said. I want you Rachel. Emily wants you. We want to be your mothers._ We want you_. And we're not going anywhere." JJ stressed the last part, her voice cracking a bit as she cried. Rachel looked back and forth from JJ to Emily, unsure.

"Rachel, we love you." Emily said, making sure Rachel was looking at her. "We want you."

"I don't believe you." Rachel said, though she was wavering a bit.

"Rachel, have we ever said we didn't want you around?" Emily asked gently. Needing desperately for Rachel to finally understand that they wouldn't leave her or send her away or get tired of her.

"No." Rachel admitted, glancing down at her scratched hands. "You said I could trust you and that you liked me and I didn't bother you. Also that you wouldn't hurt me. And now you said you loved me."

"Because we do." JJ insisted.

"Then why did you say..."

"Rachel, I need you to listen to me okay?" JJ said, bending forward and making sure that Rachel looked her in the eyes. "That wasn't what I was saying. I love you, Emily loves you and we want you. I know its still going to take some time for you to really understand that, but I need you to trust it. At some point, you are just going to have to trust us."

The two women waited watching Rachel fidget around in the hospital bed. None of them spoke for a few minutes, until Rachel looked up at them, stared first at Emily, then JJ. "Will you shoot that lady if she tries to stick me with a needle again?" She asked.

Emily licked her lips to try and hold in a laugh, JJ was unsuccessful, she burst out into a chuckle. "Rachel...we can't..." She started to explain until she looked at Rachel's face. "Yes." She said seriously. "If that woman comes in here and tries to come anywhere near you with a needle, I will shoot her in the foot."

Rachel beamed and then quickly looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry I said I hate you. I don't hate you. I like you guys. And I don't hate Spence, and I want to call him Spence."

"He will be very glad to hear it." Emily said with a laugh. "How about I go check and see if we can bust you outta here?"

"Yes please!" Rachel practically yelled. Emily grinned, yup, this one was definitely hers in this situation. Emily wasn't much better in a hospital than the seven year old. JJ moved into the vacant seat as Emily stepped into the hall to find the doctor. "JJ?" Rachel whispered. JJ smiled at the lack of 'Mrs.' and looked at Rachel.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Umm...can I...I mean, may I...if you don't mind, and if I go to the bathroom like five times...can I sleep with you guys again tonight?" Rachel whispered.

JJ beamed and leaned in close, whispering in Rachel's ear. "If you hadn't asked, I would have come and slept in your bed. I'm not letting you out of my sight." Rachel smiled and hesitated, then reached up and wrapped her tiny arms around JJ's neck. JJ bit back her tears and clung to the girl, ecstatic.

"I'm sorry I scared you." The little girl whispered.

"Don't you ever do that again." JJ said firmly. Rachel nodded.

"And you're free!" Emily announced as she came back. "You are also not allowed to walk out of here, hospital policy, wheelchair."

Rachel groaned and smacked her head into the pillow. Behind Emily, Morgan chuckled. This kid was most definitely a Prentiss. "Can't you just carry me?" Rachel asked Emily. "I don't like those things."

Emily looked to the doctor for confirmation and he nodded. Emily, JJ and Garcia got everything of Rachel's situated. Her clothes were all dirty and had been removed, she was wearing a hospital gown. Rachel swung her legs out of the bed and looked up to Reid, who was holding her coat out for her. "I don't hate you Reid." She whispered into her feet. Reid held the coat out for her to slip her arms into and then helped her into her sneakers. Tying them for her he looked up and smiled.

"I thought I was Spence?"

Rachel looked down in shame. "I can call you that?"

"I like that you and JJ are the only ones who call me that." He said childlike. Rachel grinned.

"You can call me Rach, or come up with a different nickname, only not Monkey cause JJ and Emily call me that. Well, Garcia started it, so I guess its okay...whatever you want." Rachel said with a shrug.

"Sounds good."

"Well, okay Monkey, let's get out of here." Emily said holding her arms out. Rachel jumped into them with quite a lot of exuberance for a little girl who had been unconscious only an hour or so earlier. "Take it easy kiddo." Emily warned. Rachel wrapped her legs around Emily's waist and rested her head on Emily's shoulder, letting out a yawn.

"JJ said I can sleep with you tonight." She announced tiredly as the team headed out of the hospital and into their own cars.

"Did she now?" Emily asked, glancing to JJ amused as she set Rachel down in her booster seat.

"Is that okay?" Rachel asked worried.

"Its very okay. I probably would have crawled into your bed otherwise." Emily said with a laugh.

"That's what JJ said!" Rachel said, excitedly.

"Ah, well, great minds think alike."

"Whas tha ean?" Rachel asked through a yawn.

"That it is very, very late, and we all need to go to sleep." JJ said as she turned the car on. Emily closed the door and got into the passengers seat. "Hotch gave us tomorrow off, and called the school and explained everything. She's out tomorrow too."

"Probably best." Emily agreed.

"Yeah." JJ sighed as she drove them home. Rachel fell asleep before they reached the apartment. JJ grabbed the bag of her clothes while Emily carried her into the house. She set her down in the middle of their bed while she and JJ changed their clothes. JJ shut off the light and climbed into the bed with a sigh. It had been an extremely long day. JJ placed an arm around Rachel, Emily mimicked her position and the three of them slept happily through the whole night, never moving away from each other.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you guys for the feedback, I'm glad you all seemed to like that last chapter. It was the start of Rachel's turning point, she will be slowly making more progress from here on out. Hope you enjoy:)**

Emily woke up and realized that she couldn't exactly move. She was held in place by tiny hands gripping her shirt tightly on both sides. Grinning, Emily glanced down at Rachel. The little girl was clutching Emily tightly and at some point in the night had rearranged herself from in the middle of Emily and JJ, to completely on top of Emily. They were discovering that in her sleep Rachel was a cuddlier. Her smile faltered a little as she noticed the scratches and cuts on Rachel's face and arms. Emily sighed and put an arm around the little girl's body, holding her in place. Yesterday had been horrible. Emily had never known that she could feel that terrified. She had never even felt that much fear last year with everything Doyle did. She came close when she thought he had gotten to Declan, but this had been so much worse.

It had been particularly horrible since JJ had broken down as well. Emily still hated showing herself as weak and frightened, so she had tried as hard as she could to keep it all in, while at the same time comforting JJ. It had taken so much out of her. The raven haired profiler rolled her head over to check the time and was surprised to find that it was almost noon. They had all been exhausted. JJ and Rachel were still sound asleep.

Emily realized that she needed to get up and use the bathroom. Carefully, she tried to pry the tiny fingers off of her shirt; but was met with Rachel gripping her tighter. Emily winced as Rachel murmured and opened her eyes.

"Good morning Monkey." Emily whispered. "Sorry I woke you, curl up to JJ and go back to sleep. I'm just gonna go make some coffee."

"No I'm awake. I want to help you." Rachel insisted, stretching herself out and attempting to crawl off Emily and out of the bed. Emily caught her as she almost fell. That would have certainly woken JJ up.

"Okay, come on." Emily set Rachel upright and pulled on a sweatshirt. The two of them tip toed downstairs and to Emily's surprise, Rachel was quick to grab her hand. Emily grinned. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" She asked. Rachel nodded, but seemed reluctant to let go of Emily's hand. "I've got to go too, come on." Emily said. If Rachel was going to be clingy, that was fine. Emily brushed her teeth while Rachel relieved herself, then the two traded places. "Hungry?" Emily asked as she washed her hands. Rachel nodded. "Okay, lets see if we can find something to eat."

"Can we wake JJ up to feed us?"

"No!" Emily said with a laugh. "We'll let her sleep. We can find something to make. I'm not as incompetent as JJ makes me seem."

"What does incompetent mean?" Rachel asked as she climbed up onto one of the kitchen stools.

"It means that you don't really have the skills to do something. Like you're not very good at it." Emily answered while she began to dig around the fridge.

"Oh." Rachel said softly. "So, I'm incompetent at school?"

Emily turned around and met Rachel's eyes. "No. You are not." She said firmly.

"But I don't have the skills. I'm not very good at it yet." Rachel stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, but that's how everyone is when they are learning. Its not quite the same thing."

"Oh, okay. Can we make pancakes?"

Emily frowned. She would love pancakes, but she _was_ certainly incompetent with that particular food. "We can try." She said warily. She was probably about to poison her kid. Rachel noticed the hesitation as Emily pulled out the ingredients. The seven year old hopped down from the stool and dragged it over to the stove.

"I'll help. I remember how JJ did it." She said happily.

"Okay great." Emily said. She could use all the help she could get. The profiler got out all of the ingredients and began mixing them into the bowl. She measured out the batter and milk while Rachel took great pleasure in dumping them into the bowl together. Emily tried cracking an egg and to Rachel's delight, she got to put her hand into the sticky mixture to dig out the egg shells.

"Got them!" She declared, holding up her hand covered in batter and egg yolk.

"Good. Here you start stirring it while I make the coffee and find some fruit." Emily handed the spoon over and watched as Rachel gripped the side of the bowl tightly, stuck her tongue out and took her task very seriously. It took much longer than it ever took JJ, and there was a much bigger mess left about, but the two brunettes successfully had six pancakes by the end of it. They had discarded the four first attempts and declared them inedible. Some of them were a little burnt, because Emily wanted to be sure they were actually cooked, but Rachel just added extra syrup to fix that problem. The two of them decorated a tray with the plates of pancakes, some fruit, coffee and orange juice and headed upstairs. Rachel slowly opened the door and glanced in, JJ was still asleep in the bed. Rachel grinned at Emily mischievously and before she could say anything, the little girl took off running and slammed herself down onto the bed. Emily was glad she didn't actually jump on JJ, but rather right next to her.

"What!" JJ yelled. "What's wrong? Is it Rachel!"

"Good morning, we brought you breakfast!" Rachel said barely able to contain her excitement. "We made pancakes! Look!"

Emily held up the tray with a small grin and walked over to set it in front of a now sitting up and bewildered JJ. "For me?" She asked, as she stared at the concoction in front of her.

"For all of us." Rachel said quickly, she wasn't about to be left out of eating her pancakes. "They are all the way cooked, we made sure. I flipped two of them! But those ones are in the garbage." Rachel, hungry and tired of just looking at the food, crawled on the opposite end of the bed as JJ and scooted herself up, pushing JJ's legs out of the way. She picked up her fork and dug in, causing Emily to laugh. JJ glanced over at her wife and grinned. The change in Rachel apparent, shocking, and totally welcome.

"Well thank you. I think this is the first time I have ever gotten homemade breakfast in bed."

"Weally?" Rachel asked, her mouth full. "Emily, wives are supposed to do stuff like that for each other. I saw it on tv."

JJ choked on her orange juice as she laughed at the horrified look on Emily's face.

"I have given her breakfast in bed before!" Emily insisted. "I just went out and bought it first."

JJ reached over and rubbed Emily's arm reassuringly. "And it was very sweet." She said with a smile. "Thank you honey."

"But this is better right?" Rachel asked hopefully. Emily feigned pouting and JJ just beamed.

"This is much better, because its from both of you." She said, leaning over and kissing Emily. Rachel watched them curiously and continued eating her pancakes. She deemed them a success.

"When are you guys going to work?" She asked a moment or two later. Emily and JJ exchanged glances.

"We're not today sweetie. Today we are all playing hookey." Emily answered with a smile.

"What's hookey?"

"When you don't go to school or work because you need a day to yourself."

"Cool! Can we play hookey all the time?"

JJ laughed and shoved the now empty tray off of her lap. "No, we can't play hookey all the time. Just today."

"Okay. What do we do to play hookey? What do we do instead?"

"Well, we could do anything really." JJ said glancing to Emily. They had sort of wordlessly decided to stay home. Rachel needed to just be with them. In the end, they decided to head downstairs and watch a movie for a while. Garcia had dragged Morgan shopping with her over the weekend and bought two movies for Rachel. JJ knew that Rachel was simply an excuse for her to watch the movies herself, but thanked her anyway. _Tangled_ was turning out to be a success from the look on Rachel's face. Even Emily and JJ enjoyed the film. When it was over, JJ decided to make some shrimp scampi for dinner. Emily looked over some of the files they had been talking about yesterday at work, while Rachel went upstairs to play in her room. They spent the evening just relaxing and enjoying each others company. Emily and JJ were thrilled that Rachel was opening up more finally. She still seemed unsure to ask for things, and she still didn't meet their eyes every time, but it was progress. She didn't flinch when one of them touched her anymore, though she would move away after a moment or two. While Emily was on the phone with Hotch, discussing a possible case JJ put Rachel to bed.

"JJ?" She asked as she climbed into her bed.

"What sweetie?" JJ asked as she pulled the covers over Rachel and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"We're not playing hookey tomorrow are we?"

"No. Em and I have to go back to work, and you're going to go back to school."

Rachel frowned a little. "420 minutes right?"

JJ smiled. "420 minutes." She said with a nod. JJ took a risk and bent down to kiss Rachel on the forehead. She felt Rachel tense slightly underneath her, but she didn't move away from the blonde. When JJ pulled back, Rachel smiled at her. "Night sweetie." JJ said as she got up to turn off the light.

"Goodnight JJ." Rachel said with a yawn.

* * *

><p>Rachel kicked her legs back and forth in her booster seat nervously. JJ pulled the car to a stop and glanced around at Rachel. She gave the little girl a smile and climbed out of the car, Emily right behind her. The three of them walked up to the front door to be met with it flying open and Mary Jareau yelling to them happily. Rachel's eyes widened and she placed herself behind Emily. She watched as the older woman who looked so much like JJ ran and pulled JJ into a tight hug.<p>

"Hi Mom." JJ said with a smile. Emily moved over and hugged Mary as well, leaving Rachel exposed. The little girl clasped her hands together and looked down at the ground. "Mom, this is Rachel." JJ said, moving over and placing her hands on Rachel's shoulders. "Rachel, this is my mom, Mary."

Rachel took a deep breath, kept her eyes down, focused towards Mary's stomach and stuck out her hand. "Its very nice to meet you ma'am." She said quietly. Over her head Mary widened her eyes and glanced at JJ and then Emily in surprise. Rachel waited patiently, her hand still out. Mary took it and shook her hand gently before bending down to Rachel's level.

"It is very nice to meet you too." She said with a warm smile. "Do you like cookies?"

"Yes." Rachel said with a nod.

"I made almost a hundred of them." Mary said with a grin. JJ rolled her eyes. Her mother baked when she was excited, or nervous, or angry, or because it was a tuesday. Emily chuckled softly.

"A hundred?" Rachel asked, she had never seen a hundred cookies before, but the thought of it was wonderful.

"There about. You're welcome to as many as you like."

"Mom!" JJ scolded.

"Oh alright, as many as they say you can have." Mary stood up and smiled at her daughter. "Come on inside you three, Andrew can't wait to see you." The three of them followed behind, Rachel steering clear of Mary and took off their coats. "Andrew!" Mary yelled. "They're here!"

JJ had warned her parents about Rachel's aversion to men in particular and was nervous about her reaction to her father. He was a very tall and opposing man. A total teddy bear, but Rachel might not see it that way at first. "Hi Dad." She said, stepping into his arms immediately.

"Hello sweetheart." Andrew said with a bright smile. He released JJ and wrapped Emily up into a hug as Rachel watched him warily. "Emily, how have you been?" He asked the brunette.

"Good thanks, you?"

"Wonderful, can't complain. Though my kitchen seems to have become a bakery in the time that I left a few hours ago." He said with a laugh. Mary reached over and lightly smacked him on the arm. Rachel watched the whole interaction between the four of them intently. "And hello there little one, I hear you're Rachel? Have you been keeping these two on their toes?" He asked Rachel with a smile.

She just looked at him. He didn't seem mean to her. He seemed happy, jolly even. Rachel watched how comfortable Emily and JJ were with him and decided he wasn't going to hurt her. She swallowed and stuck out her hand. "Its nice to meet you sir." She said softly, repeating the action of glancing at his torso rather than his face.

"Wow, where did she get the manners? Not from Jenny."

"Dad!"

"Andrew, really?" Mary asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"What?" Andrew asked while Emily just laughed. This was going to be entertaining.

Two hours later Rachel had consumed six cookies – only three that JJ knew about – and seemed rather comfortable with Mary and Andrew. Currently, Andrew was playing chess with Rachel while Emily, JJ and Mary were "watching" and talking on the couch. JJ absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down Emily's arm while she listened to her mother talk about a book she had just finished. Emily was actually paying attention, the two of them often traded books, something that made JJ happy. Emily's mother had never really warmed up to the idea that they were married. Especially since they had eloped and used Elizabeth Prentiss' money to do so. She wasn't cruel per say, she simply treated JJ in the same manner that she treated Emily; which was not well. JJ loved that Emily got along so well with her parents.

"I win!" Rachel declared happily. JJ glanced down and caught the look of shock on her father's face and grinned. Rachel had been talking chess strategy with Reid every time she saw him. The little girl was actually getting really good. "Want to play again?" Rachel asked.

"I've already lost three games." Andrew said with a frown. "I think thats enough cuts to my ego for today."

"Oh. Okay. What do we do now?" Rachel asked.

"Come sit up here." Mary said, pointing to the space on the couch between herself and JJ. "I hear you're learning to read. Can you read to me?"

"Mom, I don't think..." JJ started to say. Rachel was getting better at reading, but she still got flustered when she stumbled over a word. She tended to get upset and stay upset for a while. School the rest of that week had a few difficulties. Liz had to call Emily and JJ in on Thursday because Rachel had gotten a problem wrong and a boy had teased her. She had turned around and punched him. Emily and JJ had spoken to her for almost twenty minutes about not hitting people when she was upset.

"No thank you." Rachel said softly, looking down at her hands. "I can't really do it yet."

"Oh, well maybe later." Mary said with a shrug.

"Can you show me how to make cookies?" Rachel asked with a tiny smile.

"Sure!" Mary said happily. JJ groaned. "Come on." Mary held her hand out and hauled Rachel up off the floor.

"Mom, you already made a million."

"Not with my granddaughter." Mary shot back as the two of them went into the kitchen. Andrew took Mary's seat and smiled at the two women.

"So, how is it going really?" He asked.

While JJ, Emily and Andrew talked in the living room, Rachel followed Mary into the kitchen and did everything she told her. Rachel was sitting on the kitchen counter, stirring the cookie dough on her lap. "Mrs. Jareau, why did you call me your granddaughter?" Rachel asked as she dumped more than half a bag of chocolate chips into the batter.

"Because you are." Mary said as she pulled some cookies out of the oven. "Or you will be, officially, soon. Paper doesn't mean much to me."

"Huh?"

"What have Jenny and Emily explained to you?"

"That they love me and want me to live with them." Rachel said as she popped some cookie dough into her mouth.

"Don't do that sweetie, raw eggs can make you sick."

"Sorry."

"I heard you apologize a lot." Mary said looking up at Rachel. "You know, most kids just do whatever they want. Jenny certainly did."

"Really? Like she got in trouble?"

"All the time. That girl was a handful. Hannah was always calm, Jenny was a bubbling mass of energy that never stopped."

"Who's Hannah?" Rachel asked as they began rolling the dough into balls. Mary's face fell slightly.

"Hannah was my other daughter, Jenny's older sister. She died years ago."

"I'm sorry." Rachel said softly. "Was she sick?"

"No. But its not something we really need to talk about."

"My mom's dead. She killed herself when I was four. So I know about sad things."

Mary looked up and watched Rachel for a moment. It shocked her how nonchalantly she could talk about something so horrific. Mary supposed that when trauma had been the norm, Rachel had simply had to adapt to it. "I'm sorry that happened to you." She said softly.

"Its okay, she was sad all the time, she's probably not sad now. And I don't think she really liked me all that much."

"Rachel, I only know what Jenny and Emily told me, but I'm sorry for everything that happened to you. I'm glad you're here."

"Really?" Rachel asked with a tiny smile.

"Very much so." Mary smiled back as she took the full tray and placed it into the oven. "Do you like living with them?"

"Yeah. They're fun. We read books, and play chess, and JJ is teaching me how to cook, and sometimes they kiss each other when they think I'm not looking. And JJ really likes to hug."

"Yeah, she was always affectionate."

"I'm not really used to hugging. I think I hurt her feelings sometimes." Rachel said as she ran her fingers over the pattern on the countertop.

"Why do you say that?" Mary asked, walking over to her.

"Well, I kinda move away from her so she doesn't hug me."

"Why? Do you not like hugs?"

"No. I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"If I like it, I'll want them all the time and JJ might not want to give them to me anymore and then I'll be sad. If I never start liking them, then I won't get sad later." Rachel explained simply.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yeah!" Rachel said excitedly, leaning forward.

"Jenny will never stop wanting hugs. That is definitely not something you need to worry about. She hasn't grown out of it in 33 years, I doubt she ever will."

Rachel smiled and hopped down off of the counter. "Mrs. Jareau, I like you."

"You don't have to call me Mrs. Jareau."

"Well, what do I call you? Mary?"

"If that's what you want. You could call me Grandma?"

"Can I call you Mary?"

"Sure sweetie." Mary said, slightly dejected.

JJ walked into the kitchen. "Hey Mom, we've got to head out, otherwise we won't get home until way after midnight."

Mary and JJ embraced while Rachel walked out of the room to say goodbye to Andrew and find Emily. After more goodbyes, the three of them got into the car and headed home.

"I like your parents JJ." Rachel stated after a few minutes.

"I'm glad. They liked you too."

"Guess what?" Rachel asked mischievously. "I ate eleven cookies." Emily turned around in her seat and stared at Rachel while JJ's immediately went to the rearview mirror.

"What! Eleven?" Emily asked.

Rachel shrugged. "She's a really good cook."


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh man, I don't think I can properly explain the huge ridiculous grin I get on my face when you guys tell me how much you enjoy my writing. Its just...thank you. I was actually really not happy with that last chapter, so to see the response – well it was awesome. Also, it inspired me to update now, whereas, I might have been moping in a rut for a few days otherwise. To answer a question, I do plan on including Elizabeth, just not quite yet, but she will be making an appearance soon. Emily can't adopt a kid without the Ambassador knowing about it... Also. I am the seven year old who ate eleven cookies at my grandmother's house once:) My mom's reaction was memorable, so there you go!**

JJ paced back and forth in front of her bed while Emily packed her things. "I can't do this. What if something goes wrong? What if she thinks I'm leaving? What if this sets back all the progress she's been making? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Emily stood up and hesitated, trying to gauge if JJ was really done ranting or not. When JJ glared and placed her hands on her hips, she decided that she was in fact supposed to speak now.

"Jen, I can be the one to go first if that will make you feel better."

"Then we will still have all of our problems just with you!" JJ yelled throwing her arms into the air. They had been deciding who would leave on their first case back for the entire weekend. After discussing it over and over they hadn't been able to reach a decision so they had done the only sensible and mature thing they could think of; rock, paper, scissors.

"Jen, we're going to have to leave sometime, unless you want to get a different job. From what I understand, you mostly hated being at the Pentagon."

"Hate is a strong word."

"Do you want to go back?" Emily asked softly. She had missed JJ horribly while she worked there. It hadn't hit her how much having JJ there while they worked kept her spirits up until she was suddenly gone. She couldn't complain though, she had known where JJ was the entire time, she could call her and come home to her. When Emily had to leave, JJ had to pretend that her wife had died, she only had ideas of where Emily was, and they could only communicate in an online word game. The two couldn't really compare.

"Not a chance in hell. I love being a profiler, I missed you guys too much. I learned a lot at the Pentagon, and in a way I don't regret going, but I don't want to go back. I just...this sucks. Can't we take her with us?" JJ moaned. Emily grinned as JJ flopped down onto the bed and slammed her head into Emily's lap. She ran her fingers through the blonde silky hair.

"Jen, as much as a part of me would love to shut out the world and the three of us stay home with each other forever, we would get bored and we can't. If you're really not ready, I can go and you can stay."

"No, I lost, you can't go against rock, paper, scissors; its a law." JJ said seriously. Emily hid a smile. JJ was in fact quite serious when it came to rock, paper, scissors and pinky swearing. It was one of those childlike things she retained up to adulthood, and Emily loved her for it.

"Okay then, you are all packed, lets go talk to Rachel."

JJ reluctantly let Emily pull her up and the two of them went to Rachel's bedroom. JJ knocked softly on the door and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was not looking forward to this. Rachel had been happy and comfortable with them all weekend. A little clingy, she would follow them in and out of rooms, never wanting to be by herself. Which was part of the reason JJ was so worried about leaving.

"Rach?" JJ called through the door. "Can we come in?"

"Yes."

JJ and Emily walked inside to find Rachel sitting on the floor, Emily's copy of the _Wizard of Oz_ in her lap. Rachel was very determined to be able to read by herself and practiced all the time. To their delight, she was learning very quickly, but she still needed quite a bit of help. "Hey sweetie, can we talk to you?"

"I didn't mean to!" Rachel said quickly. JJ saw Emily frown. It was difficult to have Rachel seem to move forward, only to jump back every once in a while.

"Didn't mean to what?" Emily asked.

"Umm..whatever you're mad about?" Rachel asked as she bit her bottom lip.

JJ smiled softly and crouched down to sit across from Rachel. "We're not mad about anything, we just want to talk to you." She explained. Emily sat down as well and Rachel relaxed a bit. JJ took a deep breath. "Rach, you know how Em and I have been going to work while you're at school?" Rachel nodded. "Well, usually, we travel with our work, not all the time, but a lot of the time. You know how we met you while we were on a case?" Rachel nodded again and began fidgeting with the bottom of her t-shirt. "Well, we've been given some time off from traveling because we wanted to get you settled in, but we are going to have to start traveling again. This week in fact."

"This week?" Rachel asked in a small voice.

"Tomorrow."

"You're both leaving tomorrow? Am I coming too?"

"No, not both of us. Not yet. We thought for a while only one of us would go while the other stayed here with you." Emily said, stepping in as she saw JJ grow uncomfortable.

Rachel tucked her knees up into her chest and kept her eyes on the floor. "Who's leaving?"

"I am." JJ said quietly. Rachel looked up at her and met JJ's blue eyes. The sadness there almost broke the blonde. "But I'll be back before you know it. Hotch thinks this case won't take too long and I'll call you on the phone everyday!"

"Okay." Rachel mumbled. The little girl turned away from them and picked her book back up, effectively ending the conversation.

Emily took JJ's hand and pulled the blonde up and out of the room. "Twenty more minutes, then you've got to get ready for bed okay Monkey?" Emily said. Rachel nodded, but refused to turn around and meet them. Emily cupped JJ's face in her hands and kissed her. "She will be fine."

"She hates me." JJ moaned.

"No she doesn't, she's upset, she will get used to it eventually. She will realize that we will come back. Its just going to take her some time. Like everything else." Emily said, slightly frusturated. She was feeling the same as JJ. It was aggravating to have Rachel second guess them so much but Emily knew, that all they could to was continue to be there until Rachel realized they would be. Later that night, when JJ went back to Rachel's room to tuck her in, the little girl refused to meet her in the eye and moved away when JJ tried to kiss her. When JJ climbed back into her bed, Emily wrapped her arms around the blonde as she teared up. "She'll be okay." Emily whispered, praying that she was right.

* * *

><p>"Shit, Garcia what time is it?" Emily asked as she dropped the file onto the table. They had been working endlessly on the case for three days. Emily had made sure that she left in time to pick Rachel up without fail. The little girl refused to stay home with a babysitter, so Emily brought her to the bureau and had her distracted while she and Garcia worked. Rachel would sit and do her homework, asking other agents for help if Emily was busy. She had grown to be a favorite among the agents and they were all willing to help her with a word or a math problem here and there. Garcia had plenty of movies and books and games to keep Rachel interested while they worked.<p>

"You've still got half an hour until you need to get her." Garcia said, never looking up from her computer search. They were very close to cracking this case, only needed a bit more information on the man they were sure was the unsub. "How was she this morning?"

Emily groaned. Rachel had become very distant and moody since JJ left. Monday morning, she wouldn't look either woman in the eye as they got ready. When JJ had tried to hug her goodbye, Rachel shoved her away. Emily had reprimanded her and Rachel had only become angry with Emily as well. In the last three days, she was quiet and bitter every time Emily tried to talk to her. Emily realized that she was pushing her away in an effort to protect herself, but it still hurt. On the plus side, Rachel was practically in love with Garcia. Emily couldn't help but smile every time the little girl lit up when they talked. She just wished Rachel could trust them as much as Garcia.

"A little better I guess."

"She still hasn't talked to JJ when she calls?"

"No. She's this close to jumping on a plane and coming back. We need to solve this case now."

"Well, we might just have." Garcia said happily as the address she had been looking for popped up onto her screen.

"Really?"

"Yup, I'll call Hotch, you go get the monkey."

"Thanks Garcia, I'll be back in half an hour if Hotch needs me to do anything." Emily said as she grabbed her coat and ran out of Garcia's office. She drove quickly to the school and was surprised when she got there to be greeted by Liz and a very sullen Rachel. Emily noticed blood on Rachel's face and tensed up. "What happened?" She demanded.

"Rachel?" Liz asked. "Would you like to tell Emily what happened?"

"No." Rachel said with a frown as she kicked her legs back and forth angrily.

"Liz?" Emily asked. "Why is she hurt? Why didn't you call me?"

"Rachel got into a fight outside ten minutes ago. We let the children out early to play today while they waited for pickup and Rachel and an older girl, Karen, got into a fist fight."

"What!" Emily yelled. "Rachel? What happened?"

"She was being mean." Rachel insisted.

"So you hit her?"

"She was being _mean_!" Rachel stressed.

"Rachel..." Emily began, but Liz cut her off.

"I've had to give her detention tomorrow afternoon Emily, we don't tolerate violence here. But you're free to take her home today."

"Thank you Liz. I'm, I'm sorry. I will talk to her. This won't happen again." Emily said looking to Rachel. Emily directed Rachel up and took her bag, shaking Liz's hand goodbye and apologizing again. This was getting out of hand. "Rachel I want you to tell me what happened? Why did you hit that girl? You know what it feels like to be hurt like that, why would you ever do it to someone else?" Emily asked as she got Rachel into the car.

"She was being mean." Rachel said with her arms crossed. "Are we going home or to your work?"

"Rachel, don't change the subject. We have to go to the bureau, I think we're almost done with the case. What exactly was she doing that was mean?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel, you cannot hit people. Along with detention, you are grounded for the rest of the week. No tv and you need to start behaving better. Do you understand why you are being punished?"

"Because you're mean too." Rachel muttered.

"No, because I am responsible for you and you need to learn that you can't hurt other people, no matter how angry they make you." Emily could see Rachel pouting from the rear view mirror and pulled back into her parking spot. She turned off the car and shifted in her seat so she was facing Rachel. The little girl glanced down at the floor and held her hand over the seat buckle, itching to get out of it. Emily almost smiled. Rachel had unbuckled herself once before JJ had turned the car off and the blonde had flipped out. She had calmed down and explained to Rachel to never unbuckle until the car was off and Emily and JJ gave her permission. It had definitely stuck. "And when I tell JJ, she is going to say the exact same thing. In fact, she might be even more angry."

Rachel frowned and glared at Emily. "Cause you're both mean. You're both mean and you're liars."

"Rachel, what did we lie about?" Emily asked softly.

"You said that you weren't going to leave. You said that you loved me and you wanted me around. Well, Mrs. JJ is gone! And you're going to leave too! So I hate you and I don't want to be friends anymore. May I please get out of the car? I have to go to the bathroom." Rachel lowered her voice as she finished yelling. Emily licked her lips and sighed.

"Yeah, come on." Emily said, climbing out of the car. "But we aren't done talking about this, not by a long shot."

"Fine." Rachel mumbled.

Emily brought Rachel back down into Garcia's office and set her up with her homework.

"Hey Peanut!" Garcia said happily. "Guess what? I got _The Little Mermaid_!"

"No." Emily said quickly as she sat down next to Garcia. "No movies, she's grounded from tv."

"What why?"

"She got into a fight with a girl at school and she won't tell me why."

"She WHAT!" A very loud angry voice that sounded eerily like JJ yelled into the room. Emily glanced at Garcia as Rachel jumped in shock and began looking around the room for the owner of the voice.

"Oh, yeah, Jayje is on speaker..." Garcia said sheepishly.

"What happened! Is Rachel there? I want to talk to her."

"I'm not here! I'm in the bathroom." Rachel yelled out quickly. Emily and Garcia stifled their laughs.

"Emily, give her the phone." JJ demanded.

"NO! I'M IN THE BATHROOM!" Rachel yelled as she ran out of the room.

"Rachel! Get back here!" Emily yelled. "Rach!" Emily stood up to follow her but was stopped by Garcia.

"No, I'll get here. You talk to Jayje, I just sent all the information they need. You guys can figure the Rachel thing out when Jayje gets home."

Emily sighed and leaned her head back into the seat as Garcia left. "She's right. Go get him, we'll figure it out when you get back."

"Em what happened?" JJ asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea. All Rachel said was she was being mean. She won't tell me anything else, she has detention after school tomorrow and I grounded her from tv for the whole week."

"Good. Shit, I've got to go, but if everything goes okay, we should be home late tonight."

"Be safe." Emily said.

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too." Emily said as she hung up. She hated being here while JJ was out in the field with the rest of the team. Emily was not all that patient. She liked to be in the action and she definitely hated JJ being out there without her. Not to mention, dealing with Rachel alone was damn hard.

* * *

><p>"Hey Peanut." Garcia said as she walked into the bathroom. "Where are you?" Garcia looked under all of the stalls, grinning as she saw a little shoe slip down only to be pulled up onto the toilet seat quickly. "Well, hello there." Garcia said as she stood on top of the seat in the stall next to Rachel and popped her head over. Rachel looked up and saw Garcia smiling above her and frowned.<p>

"I'm not talking to her." She insisted.

"Why?" Garcia asked gently.

"Because she will yell at me and I am mad at her."

Garcia climbed down and got out of the stall. Knocking on Rachel's door she waited for the little girl to open it up. Rachel wouldn't meet her eyes so Garcia bent down and picked the girl up without a word. "Can you tell me what that girl said to make you hit her?"

"She said I was stupid and she said that no one would ever want me. I told her that I had two people that wanted me and she called Emily and JJ dykes and said we were all gross. So I punched her in the face. And she hit me back, so I hit her again until she left me alone. And I told her that she was a mean person and that people did too want me! But...but JJ left and Emily's going to leave too and she was right. I am stupid! And no one does want me." Rachel began to cry and she clung to Garcia who held her close. Garcia rubbed her back and bounced her a little, like people do when they are trying to calm down a baby. As she turned around, she saw Emily standing in the doorway. From the look on the brunette's face, she had heard pretty much the whole thing.

Emily held her arms out and Garcia passed a still crying Rachel over to her. For a moment, Rachel fought and tried to kick herself down but Emily held her tight. Garcia patted Emily's back as she left the bathroom to give them some privacy. Emily held Rachel tightly and began mimicking Garcia's earlier movements.

"Rachel, I need you to listen to me very carefully okay?" She felt Rachel nod against her shoulder. "JJ and I want you. Nothing you say or do is ever going to change that. When we leave for work, we are not leaving you. JJ will be back tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Rachel whispered tearfully.

"Really." Emily assured her, placing a kiss on her cheek and hugging her tighter. Rachel clung to Emily and began to cry harder.

"I'm sorry." She said through her tears.

"I know." Emily said. "I know." The brunette stood holding Rachel until she finally calmed down. Rachel had tired herself out with all the crying and was half asleep in Emily's arms. She carried Rachel back to Garcia's office and the blonde informed her they had gotten the unsub. The team was finishing up some last minute things and would be on the jet within an hour. If they were lucky, they would be home by nine or ten tonight. Emily let out a sigh of relief and slumped into the empty chair, Rachel still in her arms.

"JJ's coming back?" Rachel whispered from Emily's lap.

"Yep, but you'll probably be asleep." Garcia said with a soft grin.

"No! Emily, can I stay awake?"

"We'll see. Come on, we should get home and get some dinner." Emily said lifting Rachel up off of her lap. "Grab your bag." Rachel refused and climbed back into Emily's arms, unwilling to be put down. Garcia gathered her things and slung the bag over Emily's shoulder, saying goodnight to the both of them. Rachel still refused to let Emily put her down as they got back to the apartment and she spent the better half of the night sitting with her on her lap on the couch. Emily read the _Wizard of Oz _until Rachel was asleep, and then found herself fall asleep as well.

* * *

><p>JJ yawned as she put her key in the lock and dropped her go bag onto the floor. She was exhausted. This case had been gruesome and difficult with Emily back at home instead out in the field. It really made JJ remember how much better the team worked when they were all together. JJ especially worked much better knowing Emily was around. Not to mention JJ spent the entire time feeling guilty about leaving Rachel. The added stress of knowing how she was behaving for Emily, and the little girl refusing to talk to her on the phone had really gotten to the blonde. She had called Emily twice on the way home, but it had gone to voicemail. As JJ shuffled tiredly through the apartment, she was surprised to find all the lights still on. It was almost midnight, they had been stalled longer than they had anticipated. JJ walked forward and smiled, catching sight of Emily and Rachel fast asleep on the couch. Rachel was on top of Emily, clinging to her tightly. That was a good sign. JJ reached over and found a blanket and draped it over them. She couldn't help but bend down and gently run her fingers through Rachel's hair. She had missed the little girl terribly. More than she thought she would. Rachel shifted a little and JJ froze making a face as the little blue-green eyes opened and landed on her.<p>

"JJ?" Rachel whispered.

JJ gave her a small smile. "Hey sweetie."

Rachel's face lit up and she lunged herself off of Emily – effectively kicking her in the stomach to do so – and into JJ's arms. Almost knocking the blonde over and waking Emily up in the process. "YOU CAME BACK!" Rachel yelled happily, wrapping her arms tightly around JJ's neck. Emily rubbed her eyes and grinned as she looked down to the ground and saw the two of them. "EMILY LOOK!" Rachel yelled. "JJ'S BACK!"

"I can see that." Emily said, amused. JJ looked up at her and smiled. She shifted Rachel in her arms and lifted her up, walking over, she held Rachel in place and kissed Emily happily. "We missed you." Emily murmured when JJ pulled back.

"A lot." Rachel added. "But...but I was kinda bad and I'm sorry."

JJ shared a look with Emily and sat down next to her wife, shifting Rachel so her was on her lap. Rachel looked down at her hands in shame. JJ still didn't really know what had happened, but from the look on Emily's face, she definitely knew more than she had that afternoon.

"Rach, do you want to tell JJ what happened?" Emily asked.

"Can't you tell her?" Rachel whined.

"I could, but don't you think you should?"

"Not really." Rachel said seriously. Emily couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "I have to though right?" She asked. Emily nodded and stood up to get a glass of water, figuring Rachel would feel better explaining if it was just JJ. "Well, there is this girl in forth grade named Karen and she is not nice at all..." Rachel began. Emily listened from the kitchen as Rachel explained the afternoon's events to JJ. JJ pursed her lips tightly in anger at the point where Rachel said that she had called her unwanted. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you when you called. I was mad you left. I thought you weren't going to come back."

"I said I would didn't I?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't believe you."

"I'll always do everything I can to come back okay?"

"Okay." Rachel said, hugging JJ tightly. Emily smiled as she walked back over to the two of them.

"Em's right though kiddo. You can't hit, no matter how angry people make you. So, you're still grounded from tv for the week."

"What!" Rachel whined. Emily gave her a look and she pouted, but calmed down. "Fine." She grumbled.

"It is way past your bedtime." JJ said lifting Rachel up. "And I think it is past mine as well." She said with a laugh to Emily.

"Can I sleep with you guys tonight?" Rachel asked quietly.

JJ glanced to Emily. They knew they couldn't let her sleep with them all the time, she needed to be alright with sleeping on her own. But every once in a while it couldn't hurt, and truthfully, they were ecstatic that the girl was becoming comfortable enough with them to ask. "Sure, you can sleep with us tonight." JJ said with a smile.


	15. Chapter 15

**You guys are all possibly my favorite people in the world. Thank you for all the feedback:) Hope you enjoy!**

Emily looked up from her file as she heard screams of delight behind her. Rachel and Jack came running through the bullpen at top speed, Morgan chasing them. Emily frowned. Morgan had been told to keep them calm, running around through the bullpen was not Emily's idea of calm. Rachel squealed as Morgan almost grabbed her. To Emily's surprise, Rachel side stepped him with a twirl and crashed herself into Emily. She clawed at Emily trying to climb up her and out of Morgan's reach.

"Safe!" Rachel yelled. "Emily's safe!"

"No she's not." Morgan said with a grin. "JJ is."

Emily watched as Rachel's face fell in horror as she realized she had gone to the wrong woman. Morgan wriggled his fingers and inched closer to them. Rachel screamed – shattering Emily's eardrums – and leapt off of Emily's lap. In a full on sprint, she ran to JJ's desk and lunged herself at the blonde woman. Luckily, JJ had more of a warning then Emily and was ready for her. While Morgan was preoccupied with trying to catch Rachel first, Jack slipped around the other way and latched onto JJ from behind.

"We're both safe!" He declared happily. "You lose!"

"Yeah! We win!" Rachel cheered as she turned herself to be able to face Morgan and found herself staring at Emily's glare. Immediately Rachel pointed to Morgan. "It was his idea." She said, making sure the blame was off herself. Morgan scoffed and crossed his arms.

"You little traitor." He said, offended at how quickly she would sell him out. Rachel just shrugged and leaned back into JJ comfortably. Jack figured it was safe enough to release JJ, as the game appeared to be over, and the angle at which he was holding her was sort of uncomfortable. He walked over and sat by Reid's desk, eyeing the book he was reading. Within a minute Jack deemed it boring and went to go find his father.

"Where are you going?" Rachel yelled after him.

"To find my dad, want to come?"

"No thank you." Rachel said reaching up and playing with JJ's hair. Jack shrugged and went up the stairs. JJ smiled and scooted her chair back to the desk, shifting Rachel slightly. The little girl had grown considerably more comfortable with Emily, JJ and the team; but Hotch and Rossi still made her nervous. She was alright if they were all together, she would stay near Emily or JJ, but in small groups, with just them, she got panicky. There hadn't been a new case in the last few days, and Rachel had almost completed a full 180 with Emily and JJ. She had taken her grounding in stride, even gone and apologized to the girl she hit; though Emily and JJ had realized the apology was practiced with Morgan, and not so much of an apology as a warning.

* * *

><p><em>Rachel took a deep breath and stood up straight not allowing herself to look frightened in anyway. Calmly, she strode over to the fourth graders and tapped on Karen's shoulder. The older blonde turned around and scowled down at Rachel, her friends doing the same. <em>

"_What do you want freak?" Karen spat out at Rachel. For a nine, almost ten year old, she had already blossomed into quite the little bitch. _

"_I wanted to say that I am sorry that I hit you. It wasn't nice of me and I shouldn't have done it." _

"_Go away loser, I don't care." _

_Rachel frowned as the other girls laughed along with Karen. She had apologized. She had done what Emily and JJ told her she had to do. Now, she was going to to what Morgan – and Reid – thought was a good idea. "I'm sorry Karen." Rachel said firmly. "I'm sorry that you are so insecure and pathetic that you feel the need to lash out at others to make yourself feel more superior." Karen and her friends all listened, confused as Rachel beamed and continued on. "I'm sorry that you are going to grow up to be a bitter, ignorant, rude person. I feel sorry for you, but I won't hit you again." And with that Rachel turned around and walked slowly back to the swings. Rachel smiled to herself. Morgan and Reid had rehearsed that speech with her until she had the entire thing memorized. She had remembered it all. Rachel hopped onto the swing and kicked her legs out, going as high as she could. For the first time since she started school, she was feeling rather good about herself. _

* * *

><p>JJ looked up as Jack ran over to the balcony outside of Hotch's office and yelled down to them. "Daddy says you can go home!" He announced with glee.<p>

"Can we make cookies tonight JJ?" Rachel asked immediately, hopping down off of her lap and picking JJ's things up for her excitedly.

"Rach..." JJ said as the little girl tried to lift up JJ's go bag and fell over onto the floor.

"This is heavy!" She groaned.

"It stays here sweetie." JJ told her with a laugh.

"Oh, I can get your purse!" Rachel offered, jumping up to grab it. Before either Emily or JJ could say anything, Rachel had grabbed JJ's purse and Emily's. She set them down in front of her feet and began to put on her coat. "Hurry up!" Rachel exclaimed at her unmoving parents. "We've got to make cookies!"

"Why are we making cookies?" Emily asked as she stood and put on her own coat.

"Why not!" Rachel asked, clearly not understanding why Emily wasn't as excited about the prospect of cookies as her. JJ snorted and walked over to them, her coat already on. Rachel tried to carry both purses and run, but tripped. Emily reached down and took them from her with a grin. Rachel glanced up at her from the floor and smiled. "You should get shorter purses." She informed them. JJ smiled and came up behind them.

"Shorter purses?" She asked as she stuck her hand out to lift Rachel up.

"The straps are longer than me!" Rachel exclaimed as JJ lifted her off the floor.

"Well, you're not very big." Emily reminded her. Before either woman could say anything else, Rachel took off for the elevators. Realizing her intention, JJ sprinted after her and lifted her up and away from the buttons, but not after she had expertly pressed at least eight of them.

"Rachel!" JJ scolded. Rachel just giggled and squirmed away from JJ in glee. "What have I told you about that?"

"Not to do it, but its fun!"

"It also takes longer to get home, which takes longer to make cookies." Emily told her as she stepped into the elevator with them. Rachel looked horrified. It took everything Emily had not to laugh. They were finding that Rachel was a very excitable, talkative, energetic child now that she was more comfortable with them. Her energy was endless.

"We can still make cookies though right?" Rachel asked seriously.

"I'll think about it." JJ said with a smirk.

"JJ!" Rachel yelled. "Please! I won't ever push the buttons again I promise!" JJ raised her eyebrows at the seven year old. She knew very well that was a promise Rachel was most likely incapable of keeping. "Well, I won't for a whole week for sure." Rachel offered.

"Oh well, a whole week! Of course then." JJ said sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"Mother?" Emily asked in shock as she recognized the head in front her. She froze as the woman turned around and smirked at Emily. Reid glanced over at her warily, unsure of how to react. They were currently in New York on a case. Reid and Emily had been out looking at the crime scene and were on their way back to the station. Emily hadn't known her mother was in New York. Last she knew Elizabeth had been in London.<p>

"Hello Emily. I hear I'm a grandmother." Elizabeth said calmly. Internally, Emily was freaking out, outwardly, she was trying very hard to stand still and remain calm.

"Yes, I've been meaning to call you, but we're actually on a case right now, perhaps later we can..."

"Emily, I'm fully aware you don't want me involved in your life. I wasn't invited to your wedding, I have only met your wife four times, each visit shorter than the last, why would I think I would be informed of a granddaughter?"

"Mother I...I was going to tell you. Its just, its a very unique situation and I was waiting until..."

"Emily, I really must be going, and clearly you are hard at work, I'll call you at a more convenient time." Elizabeth said in a tone that Emily knew meant the conversation was over and it was not up for discussion. Elizabeth nodded in Reid's direction politely and he gave her a small awkward wave as she turned and walked away from them.

"Shit." Emily groaned.

"Wow, that was...awkward." Reid said with a grimace.

"Yes thank you Reid." Emily said sarcastically. "Come on, lets go."

"Are you..." Reid began as they climbed into the SUV.

"No, and no I don't want to talk about it. Lets just work this case okay?" Emily asked. Reid could detect the slight plead in her voice and nodded.

Emily remained quiet the rest of the afternoon. She hung back and helped Reid and Hotch work victimology while Rossi and Morgan went to the morgue. When Hotch told them to call it a night, she begrudgingly headed to her hotel room. The case had given her something to think about other than seeing her mother for the first time in over a year. Elizabeth had been icy ever since Emily informed her of the fact that she was not actually dead. Emily had been avoiding her since. Elizabeth had been particularly furious with JJ for lying and had screamed at her until Emily said they were leaving. This was sure to only cause Elizabeth to be even more angry.

Emily quickly shed her clothes and climbed into a hot shower. God she missed JJ. The two of them hadn't spent more than a few nights apart since they had been married. Seeing her mother brought all that up again. Emily was going to have to sleep by herself tonight and she was not looking forward to it. Sometimes just JJ's arms around her, or simply being able to hear her breathe in her sleep next to the brunette made her feel better.

Emily stepped reluctantly out of the now cold water and wrapped herself in a towel. She wrung out her hair and began applying lotion to her skin. It was late, and she should really try to get some sleep before going back into work in the morning, but her mind was too wired. Emily dressed in her pajamas and began running a brush through her hair. She realized she was starving and called for room service – chicken fingers – thinking of Rachel. She picked up her cell phone and groaned as she realized Rachel was probably already way past asleep.

"Hello?" JJ's voice greeted her. Emily could hear yelling in the background that sounded a lot like Rachel.

"Jayje? Is that Rachel?" Emily asked as she opened the door to get the room service. "Its like eleven-thirty."

"I know." JJ moaned. Emily could picture her sitting down and pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "She won't go to sleep. Every time I tuck her in, within two minutes she comes and needs something else. I've taken her to the bathroom twice, gotten her a _sip_ of water – because she said she was thirsty but didn't want to wet the bed – I read four stories, she read me one, then she wanted a hug, then she wanted to call you, then she was too hot, then too cold, and now I'm pretty sure she is jumping on the bed and singing a song that goes something like, 'I'm not tired, I'm not tired and I'm never going to be tired.' _I _am very tired Em. _Very, very,_ tired." JJ whined.

Emily smiled. "Jen, have you told her she has to go to bed?"

"Of course I have!" JJ yelled.

"Put her on the phone, I'll try."

"Hang on." JJ said. Emily hear some shuffling around and then a piercing scream of joy. She held the phone away from her ear as she began to eat her late night dinner.

"EMILY!" Rachel screamed into the phone. Emily thankfully still had it directed away from her ear. "You didn't call earlier!" Rachel accused.

"I know sweetie, I was working, and I figured you would already be asleep. Which reminds me, why aren't you asleep?" Emily asked as she bit off some of her chicken finger and popped it into her mouth. "If I've been informed properly, JJ has told you more than once to go to bed. Why aren't you listening to her?"

"I am!" Rachel insisted. Emily frowned and could picture JJ glaring at her in their apartment. She must have been right because a second later Rachel said, "well, I kinda am. I was gonna, I just wanted to say goodnight to you and I needed a few things. Plus I'm not tired! And its a Friday."

"Friday or not you're seven and eleven-thirty is way too late. Not to mention the fact that if JJ tells you to do something, you need to do it." Emily said, sternly.

"Sorry." Rachel grumbled.

"Say it to her not me. Tell her goodnight and go pop into your bed." Emily said with a light smile. She could hear Rachel apologizing to JJ and then biding her goodnight.

"That's not fair." JJ said as she came back on the line.

"If our situations were reversed, I'm sure she would listen to you and not me." Emily said with a laugh. She shoved the empty plate away and climbed into the bed, settling herself in comfortably.

"Yeah, I'm sure." JJ said sarcastically.

"How has she been otherwise?"

"Good actually. I think she made a friend at school, she read a whole children's book by herself to her tutor, and her last session with Dr. Yang went well. She's been behaving great actually, besides tonight. As soon as I said 'bed' she got all wound up. How about you? Anything new on the case since I talked to you last?"

"No. Hotch sent us to the hotel for the night. I hate this case, nothing about it makes sense. He keeps changing his MO."

"I know. I had a thought, he is using some type of ruse to make them comfortable enough to spend a few minutes with him. He's picked up girls from a bunch of different places, but none of them are places a typical man in his late twenties or early thirties would go right?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe we profiled him wrong, maybe he's older. A lot of the things he leaves with the women are old fashioned, they might be sentimental, like that necklace."

"That makes sense. I'll tell Hotch in the morning."

"I texted him a few minutes ago."

"Oh, good." Emily said distractedly.

"Em..." JJ asked, able to tell something was wrong. "What's going on?"

"My mother is here. In New York. I ran into her after Reid and I left the crime scene. She knows about Rachel."

"Shit." JJ said quietly. "What...what did she say?"

"Nothing much, she was definitely pissed though. I just don't want to deal with her right now. Its bad enough that this case sucks, I miss you and I miss Rachel."

"I have no sympathy for you, when I left, she was angry at me, she can't wait to see you." JJ said with a light laugh. Emily could detect the small hurt in her voice.

"She loves you JJ."

"Yeah. Get to bed Prentiss, you've got a case to solve and I am not sleeping alone for another night."

Emily grinned. "I'll be sure to make it up to you when I get back." She said seductively.

"I will hold you to that Emily Prentiss. As much as I love Rachel, I think its time she had a day with Garcia."

Emily smiled. "I agree." She said as she leaned down into the pillow and turned the lights off. She could hear JJ shuffling and doing the same. "Stay on the line?" She asked softly.

"Sure, night Em."

"Night Jen." Emily said with a smile. She rolled over onto her side of the bed and shoved her extra pillow on JJ's side. Happily, she fell asleep with her cell phone to her ear, listening to her wife breathe.


	16. Chapter 16

**I can't say enough about how awesome your reviews make me feel, thank you, and hope you enjoy this chapter:)**

"Are you awake?" A tiny voice whispered. JJ groaned as she rolled over to Emily's side of the bed and cracked one eye open. Rachel was laying half on, half off the bed with her head directly next to JJ's, smiling.

"No." JJ said, her voice still full of sleep. She rolled back over and yanked the blanket over her head. It was almost 6:20 in the morning and JJ did _not _want to be awake. God she wished Emily was back, she was an early riser too. Often, she would take Rachel in the morning and let JJ sleep.

"How can you be talking if you're asleep?" Rachel asked impatiently.

"People talk in their sleep. Its a thing." JJ muttered. Rachel frowned. She had been up for twenty minutes at least already and was bored. The little girl missed Emily. She had been gone on the case for the last four days. Rachel missed Emily coming in to wake her up, talking with her early before JJ was awake, she just missed seeing the brunette. Rachel waited a moment and just watched JJ, hoping she would get up. When she didn't Rachel took matters into her own hands. She climbed over and straddled the blonde, bending down and pulling the blanket back until she could see JJ's face. "I'm still asleep." JJ insisted as Rachel put her face very close to her own.

"Please stop being asleep." Rachel asked politely. JJ laughed and bucked her hips up, sending Rachel falling to the side. The little girl giggled with delight as JJ reached over and pulled her in close, peppering her face with kisses.

"Is this awake enough for you Monkey?" She asked with a grin.

"Eww, gross!" Rachel yelled. But she squirmed her way closer to JJ as she stopped. "Is Emily coming home today? Its the weekend, people aren't supposed to have to work."

"Unfortunately, not all jobs work that way, but when I hung up with Hotch last night it sounded like they had a break."

"Like a vacation?"

"No, like something made sense in the case and they might be able to figure out what happened." JJ explained. Her idea a few days earlier had finally paid off, and after interviewing a few more people over the last few days, they had narrowed it down to three men. From the sound of things last night, they may have eliminated one. JJ hoped that today would be the day they solved it.

"What are we gonna do today?" Rachel asked as JJ ran her fingers through her hair.

"Humm, what do you want to do?" JJ asked softly.

"I don't know, can we go somewhere?"

"Anywhere in particular you had in mind?"

"Can we go to a park? Or a library?" Rachel asked quietly, not looking JJ in the eye.

"We can do both."

"Really!" Rachel asked in awe. JJ sighed. The little girl was still shocked whenever Emily and JJ granted her still very few asked requests. She was slowly asking for small things, but she still would get nervous and uncomfortable.

"Yes." JJ said putting her mouth right by Rachel's ear. "Really." She whispered. Rachel giggled and pushed her away gently as it tickled. The two relaxed a moment more and then Rachel jumped up and stood over JJ.

"I'm hungry!" She yelled out happily. "Lets get pizza!" Rachel jumped up and down on the bed, narrowly missing JJ's legs.

"Pizza? For breakfast?" JJ asked as she sat up and pulled her legs out of the way.

"Yeah! Why not?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"Because I can make actual breakfast food?" JJ said, obviously.

"But we do that every morning." Rachel complained as she slammed herself down onto the bed in front of JJ. The blonde smirked and got out of the bed, she patted Rachel on the bottom and walked out of the bedroom without a word. "JJ!" Rachel called. "Jen! Jayje! _Jennifer!_" No answer. Rachel stood up on the bed and screamed. "JENNIFER ANNE PRENTISS!" JJ popped her head back into view and Rachel squealed. Before Rachel could react, JJ had ran over and wrapped her arms around Rachel, lifting her into the air and running with her. "No! I give up! I give up! We can have your food!" Rachel yelled through her giggles as JJ walked and tickled her at the same time.

"That's better." JJ said with a grin. She set Rachel down on one of the stools and began making coffee.

* * *

><p>Emily drew her gun and pointed it at the man in front of her. Her pulse was racing, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She could feel Morgan right next to her, in the same position, but she kept her focus on the man in front of her, and the gun that was pointed at her. This man had nothing to lose. He had murdered five women, his family was dead, he was caught, and he was either going to kill himself, or give up. Somehow, he didn't look like the giving up kind, at least, not unless he took a couple of cops down with him.<p>

"Drop it Mr. Long, I won't say it again!" Morgan yelled angrily. Emily scanned the room quickly, there was a back entrance, Hotch, Reid and Rossi were supposed to be back there and she couldn't figure out why she didn't see them yet.

"Why should I listen to you?" He screamed back.

"Because you cannot get away with this. You got two agents with guns aimed right at your heart, every cop in this city has your picture, you're done. Put it down now." Morgan yelled calmly. The man moved the gun towards his head, aiming it up to the ceiling, Emily tensed up and squeezed the trigger just a little bit, ready to shoot. "Come on man, it's over." Morgan said softly.

"Not its not." The man said with an evil grin. The next thing Emily knew, someone slammed her with what felt like a brick and she hit the ground with a thud. Emily heard shots fire as she tried to move, her back felt like it was on fire. She could hear yelling and fighting above her and struggled to try and get up to help. All she could think was that if she went and got herself killed, JJ would find a way to bring her back to life simply to kill her again.

"Prentiss!" She heard Morgan's voice yell. "We got them! You okay?"

"Them who? Fuck!" Emily yelled as she tried to move and felt the pain radiate in her back. She reached an arm around behind her and felt blood. "Shit." She muttered.

"Prentiss!" Morgan yelled again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Emily groaned.

"You're bleeding." Reid said as he walked over to her. "Rossi, call for a bus."

"No!" Emily yelled quickly. "Just help me up."

"Emily, I am much more afraid of JJ than you." Reid said seriously. "I'm getting an ambulance."

Emily glared up at him. "I am way tougher than JJ." She said with a little pout. Reid smirked.

"Yeah, she lets you believe that."

"Shut up Reid." Emily groaned as her back pulsed with pain again. The EMTs got there a few minutes later and realized that the second unsub – who no one saw coming – had whacked her with a fire poker in the back. She had a large cut down her lower back and needed stitches and a tetanus shot. Emily protested and grumbled through the whole procedure and until she was finally released from the hospital. Hotch walked into the room as she was gathering her things with a sheepish frown. "What?" She asked, getting an ominous feeling.

"Umm, Garcia knows you were injured and I believe she told JJ." He said apologetically.

"Shit."

"Sorry, the doctor said we can go anytime. We've just got to get our things from the hotel, Morgan's getting yours and then we'll head out to the jet. You might want to call your wife, she already left a rather unpleasant voice mail on all of our phones."

"Sorry about that."

"Yeah, well, its nice to have someone who cares enough to call and harass all your friends." He said with a small grin. Emily laughed.

"That's one way to put it."

Hotch gave her a small wave and left the room. Emily took a deep breath and dialed JJ, holding the phone away from her ear and preparing herself. "SERIOUSLY!" JJ's voice yelled the second she picked up the line. "SERIOUSLY! YOU DIDN'T THINK TO CALL ME? REALLY EM? I HAVE BEEN SITTING HER FOR OVER TWO HOURS WORRIED SICK! WE HAVE A FUCKING CHILD NOW! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" JJ continued yelling and Emily held the phone in her hand, giving the nurse who walked in with a confused expression a small smile and waiting for JJ to finish her rant. "EMILY!" JJ finally yelled.

"Yes?" Emily asked calmly, putting the phone to her ear.

"Are you okay?" JJ whispered, worriedly.

"I'm fine." Emily insisted. "Fifteen stitches, a tetanus shot, good as new."

"Did they give you painkillers?"

"Yeah, but I don't need them." Emily insisted. Truthfully, her back fucking hurt but Emily hated pills. She always had, even as a kid, but especially after everything with Reid that had happened years before. She didn't want to become dependent on anything.

"Emily." JJ said through clenched teeth. "Take them."

"Seriously Jen, I'm fine, just a little sore." Trying to change the subject, she asked, "speaking of that child we have, how is she? She doesn't know I got hurt does she?" Emily asked, growing worried. They hadn't really explained the dangers of their job to the seven year old just yet. Honestly, Emily had a feeling she worked it out already, considering how they met her, but she didn't want Rachel to worry. She knew they needed to talk to Rachel about it and it looked like it would be sooner rather than later.

"No I didn't tell her. I didn't know anything, I wasn't about to dump all my worries on a seven year old." JJ said angrily.

"I didn't mean...Jen, you know that's not what I meant." Emily said softly.

"Yeah. When will you guys be home?" JJ asked curtly.

"Probably in a few hours, after dinner most likely."

"Fine, take the pills, see you then." JJ said quickly.

"Wait! Is Rach there, can I talk to her?"

"Hang on."

Emily heard JJ call for Rachel and there was some shuffling until a very excited voice screamed, "EMILY! I MISS YOU!"

Emily smiled, wishing she had pulled the phone away from her ear. "I miss you too Peanut, how have you been?"

"Good, when are you coming home?"

"Tonight."

"REALLY! JJ SHE'S COMING HOME TONIGHT!"

Emily heard JJ said "I know" in the background and grinned, she could hear the smile in her wife's voice. Rachel was going to be a great help in cheering JJ up. "Hey Rach?" Emily said, trying to get her attention.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure!" Rachel said happily.

"Can you be extra good for JJ today? Do exactly everything she says?"

"Okay...did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. Not at all." Emily said quickly. "I'll explain more when I get home, but I got hurt in the field today and JJ is a little sad, so I need you to cheer her up. Can you do that for me?"

"You're hurt?" Rachel squeaked. Emily could hear her voice getting higher and knew she was about to cry.

"No, no, sweetie I'm fine. Its just a cut on my back, I just have to be careful of it for a few days, but I'm really fine, I'll show you when I get home."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye Rach." Emily said softly as she heard the line click off. Her back throbbed, god she just wanted to sleep. Emily dragged herself off of the bed and was met with Rossi, grinning and standing next to a wheelchair. "No. No way." She said quickly.

"Hospital policy, hop in." He said with a grin.

"I hate you." Emily said as she sat down gingerly, avoiding contact with her back and the seat.

"Yeah, yeah." Rossi said as he pushed her into the hall. "I'll get over it."

* * *

><p>Rachel set the phone down and with a frown walked over and climbed up onto JJ's lap, burying her face into JJ's neck. "Is she gonna die?" Rachel whispered.<p>

"No." JJ insisted firmly. "She just got a cut on her back, she really will be fine." JJ said as she ran her fingers through Rachel's hair. She had realized a while ago that the gesture seemed to calm Rachel down.

"But she _could_ die? Both of you could? Some bad guy like my dad could kill you?"

JJ sighed. She and Emily really should have spoken to her about this before, and the definitely should do it together. Emily was much better at explaining stuff like this to children. "Rachel...yes, our job is dangerous and we could get hurt, but...but we are very careful. The whole team takes care of each other, part of our job is to make sure we are all safe, we don't get hurt that often. And we will be especially careful now okay?"

"Why?"

"So we don't worry you." JJ said with a smile. "Rachel, yes, there is a possibility that one of us will get very badly hurt someday, but we will do everything we can to make sure we always come back to you safe, okay?"

"Okay." Rachel said quietly. JJ could see the information sinking in and sighed, holding Rachel tighter. The little girl had seen so many horrible things in her short seven years, it just wasn't fair. JJ didn't want her to have to worry about them getting hurt as well. She was going to kill Emily when she got home.


	17. Chapter 17

**I love all of you:) In order to try and make this as realistic as I can, Rachel, Emily and JJ are going to have a few issues every once in a while...this is one of those times.**

Rachel bit her lip and stuck her head around the door frame gingerly. She could see Emily laying on her stomach in the middle of the bed unmoving, but JJ was nowhere to be found. Rachel could hear the blonde woman's voice and deducted that she must be in the bathroom. Rachel remained where she was and listened closely, keeping her eyes glued to the brunette the entire time. Rachel hadn't let Emily out of her sight since she had arrived home the night before.

She had been terrified when Emily came in and showed her the cut on her back. There was a large white bandage covering it. Emily insisted that it didn't hurt, but as Rachel watched her closely the rest of the night she noticed her wincing slightly when she thought no one was looking. Rachel had been imagining all sorts of bad things that could happen. She was waiting for Emily to just start bleeding from her back the way her mother had bleed from her wrists. Rachel did not want Emily to take that bandage off. In fact, she was sure that they were going to need a much bigger one and had spent the rest of the night – while she was supposed to be asleep – making a bandage like thing out of some sheets. Her plan had been to sneak into their bedroom after they were asleep and wrap Emily's back tightly with it. But by the time Rachel had finished and tip toed down the hall, she could still hear voices from behind the door. She was cold, so she lay down outside the bedroom on the floor, and wrapped herself up in the sheet. That is where Emily and JJ found her the next morning when they woke up. Rachel had simply told them she was going to the bathroom and brought the sheet to keep herself warm and she fell asleep on the way back. Neither woman looked like they believed her, but Rachel refused to offer up any more information and ran downstairs to get breakfast.

Rachel decided that she was going to have to keep Emily alive. JJ was doing a pretty good job, but after seeing Emily she didn't seem as concerned as she had before. Rachel didn't understand why. One of her thoughts was that JJ just didn't care. That maybe she had fallen out of love with Emily and they were going to get a divorce like some of the kids in her class. That was not something Rachel liked one little bit. The other day at recess, a boy named Tommy told her that his parents were divorced. He had two dads which Rachel found pretty cool since neither of them looked scary to her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why?" Rachel asked as she kicked herself forward on the swings. Tommy, right beside her did the same, attempting to get himself higher. He didn't like being beaten by a girl. <em>

"_They fell out of love. That's what they told me. But Dad says parents can't fall out of love with their kids. Its not possible. Which is good, 'cause I got real scared for a minute." _

_Rachel swung herself higher and higher and then flung herself into the air, expertly landing on her feet. She spent most days at recess on the swings and had become quite good. She frowned at Tommy, who was still trying to get enough momentum to jump. "Yeah, but Emily and JJ aren't my moms, they're my...well I live with them." Rachel had been struggling to find the proper word for them as of late. Now that she was involved with the other students more, they asked about her life more often. Rachel hated being unsure about anything, it made her feel stupid. _

_Tommy took a deep breath and jumped, he slammed into the ground with a thud and yelled out in anger. He was not very adept at jumping off swings. "Well, aren't they your parents though? I mean you live with them and they're the grown ups that take care of you...I think that's what a parent means." _

"_But I already had parents. I don't think you can have another set." Rachel said bitting her lip. She very much hoped that statement wasn't true. _

"_I think you could." Tommy said thoughtfully as Rachel helped him up. The two of them began playing together at recess a few days before and were becoming good friends. Tommy was scrawny and little like Rachel and the older boys never let him play kickball with them. _

"_Well, either way...Emily and JJ love each other a lot. They kiss all the time and they're always holding each other and stuff. They won't fall out of love." Rachel said firmly. _

"_They could. Grown ups do really stupid things sometimes. My dads are both sad all the time now. Its not fun. And they used to kiss and stuff all the time too!" _

_Rachel looked horrified_.

* * *

><p>Now Rachel had to worry about Emily bleeding and JJ not loving her. It was a lot for a seven year old to be carrying around. Rachel ducked away as she saw JJ coming out of the bathroom, but she stayed where she was, needing to be close to them.<p>

A few minutes later Rachel heard a knock on the front door and scrambled up to answer it. "Someone's hear!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs. JJ walked down, close behind her.

"Rach, let me get it." JJ called out to stop the girl.

"Why can't I?" Rachel asked with a pout. She was not pleased with the blonde.

"Because I would rather you not, you're too little to answer the door."

"That's not fair." Rachel muttered.

"Sweetie, yes it is." JJ said trying to ruffle Rachel's hair. The little girl stepped away from JJ angrily and the blonde frowned in confusion but shook it off and opened the door. "Hey Derek." She said, greeting Morgan and Garcia. The two of them had called last night to see if they could take Rachel off of their hands to give the women some time alone. Garcia wanted to take Jack and Rachel to the zoo. JJ hadn't gotten a chance yet to tell Rachel.

"Hi guys!" Garcia said cheerfully as she wrapped Rachel up into a big hug.

"You ready Freckles?" Morgan asked with a grin as Rachel high fived him. Morgan and Reid didn't scare her anymore, she liked being friends with them.

"Ready for what?" Rachel asked looking up at Garcia.

"The zoo!" Garcia exclaimed excitedly. "We just have to pick up Jack on the way there."

"Cool!" Rachel yelled. She had never been to the zoo. But she wanted to see an elephant more than anything else in the world. "I'll go get Emily!" Rachel began to run up the stairs but was stopped by JJ.

"No, sweetie, Em's gonna stay here with me and take a nap. She needs her rest. Morgan and Garcia will bring you back before dinner. Please don't load her with sugar." JJ said as she stood up and glared at Garcia lovingly.

Rachel felt like she had been punched in the gut. They didn't want her. Emily was dying, JJ didn't love her and now they were sending Rachel away. She wanted to cry. "No thank you." Rachel whispered. "I'm tired too." She backed away from Garcia and stood defiantly in the middle of the hallway. All three adults looked on at her in confusion.

"Rachel, there will be elephants there!" JJ said with a smile. "You've been talking about elephants for weeks, don't you want to see them?"

"No thank you, I'll stay and help take care of Emily." Rachel said crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her gaze to the ground.

"Oh, Rach, I don't need you to do that, go have fun, Em's fine." JJ said, not seeing how worried Rachel was. JJ _did_ notice a slight change in Rachel since last night, but she and Emily had talked with her for a good hour, explaining everything and making sure she understood that Emily was going to be fine. JJ just thought it was adorable how Rachel wanted to help.

Rachel looked back and forth between all the adults and grew more nervous with each moment. JJ wanted her to leave. JJ didn't want her here. Rachel mashed her lips together and bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying. She wouldn't give JJ the satisfaction. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Emily." Rachel whispered. Emily would want her to stay. Emily would make JJ let her stay. Even if they fell out of love, Emily would still want her. Tommy said his Dad always wanted to play with him now. Emily would want her.

"Okay, hurry back down." JJ told her with a smile.

Rachel ignored her and bolted up the stairs, the tears threatening to fall. She stopped right outside of the bedroom and took a deep breath, not allowing herself to cry. She still had Emily. Rachel pushed open the door and found the brunette now on her side, a book in her hand. She smiled as Rachel walked into the room. "Hey kiddo, you ready for the zoo?" She asked with a bright smile. Rachel's face fell. Emily wanted her to leave too. Rachel clenched her fist and nodded, desperately trying not to cry. "Have a great time okay? Take a picture of an elephant for me."

"Okay. Bye." Rachel whispered, then ran out of the room. The seven year old stalked downstairs, not looking at JJ and stepping away from her as she tried to hug her goodbye. Rachel ran outside and climbed into the back of Morgan's car, her booster seat already set up. She knew this would happen. She never should have let herself trust Emily and JJ. Everyone eventually got mad and didn't want her. Her dad was right.

JJ frowned and hugged Garcia as Morgan followed her outside with a wave. "Call me if she needs anything okay Pen? She's been a little...I dunno, I think seeing Em hurt has freaked her out a little."

"No problem pumpkin! That's why were giving her a day of fun!" Garcia said patting JJ's arms affectionately.

JJ smiled warmly. "I know, just...call me if she gets worried or scared or something."

"Will do! Enjoy the time with your woman." Garcia said, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.

JJ laughed. "Garcia, she's got a huge cut on her back and stitches, unfortunately, that isn't going to be happening." _Very, very unfortunately. _JJ thought. She loved having Rachel, but the little girl had definitely made the two women have to be a little creative with their alone time.

"Well, then get creative and when Em is back up to full health, I'll take the monkey for a night or something." Garcia smiled.

"I will definitely take you up on that." JJ said as she waved to Morgan and Rachel in the car. The blonde frowned as Rachel crossed her arms and turned away, an angry look on her face. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea... "Pen..." She began.

"Stop it Jayje, she will be fine. See you later." Garcia insisted.

"Bye." JJ said quietly, getting an ominous feeling as she closed the door.

* * *

><p>Emily dropped her book and looked up at her smiling – scantily clad – wife standing in the doorway. "Oh that's not fair." She groaned. JJ simply smirked. "You're mean." Emily said throwing a pillow at the blonde. "Very, very, mean."<p>

"Just because you're slightly incapacitated doesn't mean we can't work around it." JJ murmured in a husky voice as she inched over to Emily.

"I hate you." Emily groaned as JJ climbed slowly onto the bed.

"Oh that's not true." JJ whispered as she hovered over Emily and began to kiss her way up to the brunette's mouth.

"No, its definitely not. Especially when you do that." Emily said with a grin.

* * *

><p>Rachel furiously wiped at her eyes trying to will the tears from falling. Jack noticed and slipped his hand into Rachel's silently. Garcia and Morgan were walking ahead of them, paying for the tickets. Rachel tried to pull her hand away, not wanting to trust anyone. Jack gripped tighter and refused to let her walk away. Rachel glared at him but switched to a neutral look as Garcia and Morgan walked over to them.<p>

"We get our hands stamped!" Garcia exclaimed happily sticking her hand out to show the children. "Yellow! Well, no actually I think kids get blue...but pretty huh?"

"We want yellow." Jack stated firmly, his grip tight on Rachel's hand. Rachel nodded, trying not to cry.

"Well, Jackie Boy, I think kids have to get blue, but later I can get you yellow stamps if you want." Garcia said with a smile.

"Fine." Jack grumbled as she pulled Rachel over with him and stuck his hand out for the ticket seller. "We'll get blue." Jack glared at the teenager behind the counter. "But we are not happy about it." He stated firmly. The teenager looked taken aback but Rachel hid a small smile.

"What's with them?" Morgan whispered to Garcia as they followed the children into the zoo.

"Who knows, but its damn adorable." Garcia said back excitedly. The two adults followed the children into the center of the zoo, deciding to simply walk around a little before finding specific animals. Jack had yet to let go of Rachel's hand, but he didn't prod her for information. Somehow, he knew that she wouldn't tell him anything with Morgan and Garcia around listening. They wandered around somewhat aimlessly, Jack had been to the zoo before and was eager to show Rachel his favorites. The monkeys he thought would definitely cheer her up, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Something that Morgan noted with a concerned frown.

"May we get some food please Miss Garcia?" Rachel asked quietly. Garcia shared a look with Morgan and they both noted that Rachel was slipping back into her old shy ways. Garcia thought about texting JJ, but decided against it for now. She didn't want the blonde to worry, JJ stressed over Rachel so much that she never seemed to relax. Garcia wanted her two best friends to have an afternoon without stress or worry.

"Sure we can sweetie, are you guys hungry now? Or do you want to see a few more animals first?" She asked.

Rachel squeezed Jack's hand. "Now please." He answered with a smile.

"Alrighty, onward and upward!" Garcia yelled and headed off for the food court, Morgan, Jack and Rachel right behind her.

"I've got a plan." Jack whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked with a glare. "Why won't you let go of my hand?" The freckled girl tried to pry it away for the third time, to no avail.

"Because you're sad about something, my mom told me holding hands is how you let people know you are their friend. We're friends, and you're sad, so I'm holding your hand. Stop trying to pull it away!" Jack scolded her in a fierce whisper.

"You're annoying." Rachel whispered back angrily.

"So are you. But we're still friends."

"Okay kiddies! What do we want to eat?" Garcia yelled out happily, oblivious to the whispered conversation. The four of them purchased their food – various amounts of hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes and blue slushies – and headed to an empty table. They ate rather quietly, Rachel refusing to engage in any sort of conversation other than a shrug here or there, much to Garcia and Morgan's disappointment. The pair decided not to pry just yet. Or rather, Morgan warned Garcia to back off and made sure the excitable blonde did so. They finished eating in about half an hour and decided to head to the bathrooms before going to look for the bigger animals. Garcia was very reluctant to let Rachel go anywhere near a bathroom by herself, considering what had happened the last time. So begrudgingly, Rachel let Garcia take her. "You feeling okay Rach?" Garcia said, bumping her hip into the little girl lightly. Rachel shrugged. "Honey, if you're worried about Em, you really don't need to be; she's going to be fine. God knows she's had worse!" Garcia yelled out without thinking. Seeing the horror that crept up onto Rachel's face Garcia squealed and covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that. Don't tell your moms I said that. They are both perfectly healthily."

"They're not my moms." Rachel said fiercely as she slammed herself into one of the bathroom stalls.

* * *

><p>Emily lay on her side, careful not to let her back press against the bed, her very naked, very sweaty body wrapped in JJ's. Despite warnings from her doctors, Emily had a very creative wife. "Well that was..."<p>

"Awesome." JJ finished for her with a smirk and a kiss.

"Yeah. Definitely." Emily smiled back at the blonde. "I almost forgot I was hurt."

"How does your back feel?" JJ asked with a slight frown.

"Fine." Emily said quickly. Too quickly. JJ raised her eyebrows at Emily. "Its a little sore, but I'm _fine_." The brunette stressed. "The more you fret about it, the more Rachel will. Its not like I've never been hurt before. I mean I did die."

"Don't remind me." JJ said curtly. Emily frowned and pulled JJ closer. The blonde hated talking about Emily's injuries, she hadn't known that Emily had actually coded in the ambulance until recently and it bothered her.

"Sorry." The two women were quiet for a few moments, relaxing in each other's company. Despite enjoying their time alone, both of them were realizing that they both missed a certain energetic little girl.

"Did she seem...I dunno upset to you?" JJ asked quietly.

"A little...I'm worried about her, she was lying this morning about sleeping on the floor."

"She seemed mad at me when she left, but I can't figure out why." JJ tapped her fingers against Emily's arm in contemplation. "I'm gonna call Pen." She said a minute later as she rolled over and reached for her phone.

"No, Jen..." Emily tried to reach out and grab her but winced at the pain in her back. "Shit." She groaned. "Jen, she'll call if something's wrong, you can't worry about her all the time."

"I'm pretty sure that's what parenting is." JJ said seriously.

Emily laughed loudly and groaned again at the pain it brought. "Yeah, but we can't drive ourselves crazy. She'll be back in a few hours and if something's wrong we will figure it out."

JJ huffed and dropped her phone. "Fine." She growled. "Then you are going to have to keep me occupied." She said as she began nipping at Emily's neck.

Emily moaned. "I would love to Jen, but my back really does hurt. The doctor wasn't exactly lying."

"Fuck." JJ said in frustration as she rolled off of her wife. "Fine, then you are taking the pills." She said forcefully as she got out of the bed. Emily reached her hands out in protest.

"No, I don't need them, come back." She pleaded childishly.

"Too late!" JJ yelled happily as she walked out of the room stark naked.

* * *

><p>Rachel followed behind Morgan and Garcia, her hand in Jack's, a pout on her face as they made their way to the tigers.<p>

"What's wrong?" Jack whispered when they were slightly out of earshot of the adults.

"None of your business." Rachel whispered back.

"It is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"What are you two fighting about?" Morgan called back to them. "We've got tigers to see! Come on!"

Rachel leaned over and while Jack was distracted and yanked her hand away. "I don't want to talk about it." She spat out.

"Well than stop being mean and angry!" Jack whispered back. Rachel frowned at him and stalked ahead to stand next to Morgan, he was the least likely to bother her. Rachel and Jack couldn't see, so Garcia stood watch while Jack climbed up to get a better view, and Morgan hoisted Rachel up onto his shoulders. Rachel was startled at first and almost kicked to be let down, but found that she liked the view from up there. Feeling happy for the first time since the night before, Rachel giggled as she caught sight of the elephants off in the distance.

"MORGAN!" She yelled as she pointed. "THE ELEPHANTS! Can we go see them?"

"Sure Freckles, hang on." Morgan said with a smile. He told Garcia where they were going, than beamed up at Rachel. "Hold on tight." He said and he took off running. Rachel yelled with delight from Morgan's shoulders as the air whipped into her face.

"They're awesome." She said in awe.

Morgan looked up at her and caught something in her eye. For reasons he wasn't sure of, seeing the elephants meant something very important to Rachel. He had easily caught on to the fact that Rachel was upset, but he knew that when she wanted to discuss it, she would. For now, Morgan was content with showing her some elephants and watching her smile.


	18. Chapter 18

**Ughh, I got a little stuck with this one, hope you like. **

_ "Allowing children to show their guilt, show their grief, show their anger, takes the sting out of the situation." _

_ - Martha Beck_

Rachel had yet to get down off Morgan's shoulders, so Jack still didn't know what was wrong with her. He was very determined to figure it out, so he needed a plan to get rid of Morgan and Garcia for a while. Jack tugged on Garcia's shirt and the bubbly blonde leaned down to him with a smile.

"Can Rachel and I go get some ice cream?" He asked.

"Sure pumpkin, hang on we'll head over there in a minute."

"No! I mean just me and Rachel, its just right over there, you'll be able to see us the whole time." Jack said pointing over to the ice cream stand only yards away.

"Oh, I dunno buddy..." Garcia began. Jack made what Garcia called his 'puppy dog face' and Garcia smiled. "Okay, here's some money, stay where we can see you."

"Okay! Come on Rachel!" Jack yelled up to her. The brunette girl glanced down, reluctantly taking her eyes off the elephants.

"Come on for what?" She asked in a huff.

"Ice cream! Get down!"

"Ugh, fine." Rachel huffed. "Morgan? Can you put me down now please?" She asked. Morgan grinned as he lifted Rachel off of his shoulders and set her down on the ground. Jack reached over and grabbed her hand, the money safe in his other and the two of them took off running. "Garcia let us go by ourselves?" She asked, slightly in shock at the fact. Jack nodded happily as they stepped into the line. "How come?"

"Cause we're awesome and together we make a fourteen year old!"

"I don't think it works like that." Rachel said skeptically.

"Sure it does, so, what's making you mad?" Jack asked, jumping right into it. Rachel glared at him and yanked her hand away, crossing her arms. "Come on, we're best friends, sorta cousins, I won't tell." Jack said softly. Rachel turned and looked at him, her anger lessening a little.

"They don't want me." Rachel whispered. The tears began to well up in her eyes and she wiped at them furiously. "And I think Emily might die."

"From her cut? Nah, they get hurt sometimes. My dad got stabbed, real bad by the guy who...well the bad guy that killed...killed my mom. They get cuts and bruises all the time, Aunt Emily's really tough." Jack and Rachel moved forward in the line and Jack glanced back at Rachel. "Why do you think they don't want you?" He asked quietly.

"I just know." Rachel whispered, her eyes down at the ground.

"How? What did they say? What did they do?" Jack insisted.

"Its...its hard to explain, but I know. My dad was right, no one ever really wants me. They were really happy before I came and now I think they might fall out of love and its my fault!" Rachel yelled. She quieted down as they approached the end of the line. Jack picked two chocolate ice cream cones for the both of them and passed the money over. Handing one cone to Rachel he began to lick the other happily. Jack shoved the remaining change into his pocket and took Rachel's free hand with her own, despite her protests.

"Emily won't die. She got hurt and went away a while ago but she's okay now. Aunt Emily and Aunt JJ like each other better than any grown up I know! They won't fall out of love." The two of them walked slowly back to Morgan and Garcia, taking their time and licking their ice cream. "Plus, I knew them before you did, they're a lot happier now that you're here. Everyone is!"

Rachel managed a small smile. She wanted very much to believe Jack, she almost did, but a small part of her still latched onto the fact that she wasn't wanted. She remained quiet the rest of the trip, through the polar bears, the reptiles, and the dolphins. As they made their way back to the car, Rachel climbed into her seat without protest and leaned her head back, exhausted. Garcia looked back and smiled as she watched Rachel nod on and off into sleep. She quickly made sure Jack didn't wake her as they dropped him back off to Hotch and as they pulled out of the driveway, she was out cold.

* * *

><p>JJ paced back and forth glancing outside the window twirling her hair in her fingers nervously. Emily watched from the couch, unable to pace, she simply bit her fingernails and told JJ to stop making her dizzy.<p>

"Jen, she's been gone a few hours please relax."

"You're one to talk, I've caught you looking out the window every few seconds too so shut up!"

Emily hid a smile, JJ had her there. Hearing a car door slam JJ jumped up and Emily stood as quickly as she could manage with her back. JJ opened the door to find Rachel sound asleep in Morgan's arms, Garcia a finger on her lips. JJ smiled as the two of them walked inside quietly. She was itching to reach out and take Rachel from Morgan's arms.

"She fell asleep on the way home." Garcia whispered. "How's your back Em?"

"Better, JJ forced pills on me." Emily said with a laugh. "How was she?" Emily asked. She noted the slight frown on Garcia's face and the look she shared with Morgan. "Penelope, how was she?" She asked again.

"What!" JJ asked, glancing back and forth between her friends worriedly. "What happened? You said you would call me!"

"It wasn't anything big Jayje, she was a little quiet and something was bothering her but she wouldn't say what. She might have told Jack though, but she wouldn't tell me. We had a great time otherwise, she loved the elephants." Garcia said with a smile.

JJ sighed and walked over to Morgan holding her arms out. "I'll go put her to bed."

"I can do it." Morgan insisted. JJ frowned slightly but Morgan headed up after sticking his tongue out at the blonde. Morgan had grown quite a soft spot for the little girl and was reluctant to end the day with her just yet. Very gently he carried the Rachel upstairs and placed her in the bed. He removed her shoes and tucked the blankets over her with a smile. Goddamnit, Morgan was turning into a total softy. He stood up and headed back downstairs to find his friends sitting on the couch, drinking coffee. "Out cold." He announced as he sat down next to JJ and placed his arm around her.

"Thanks." JJ said, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, what was wrong? How did she seem?" JJ asked him.

"She was quiet, back to not looking us in the eye, stuff like that." Morgan said simply. He didn't want his friends to worry, he figured Rachel would have a couple of regressions along the way. Emily bit her fingernails again and JJ reached over and swatted her hand away. Morgan and Garcia laughed. "She loved the elephants. Didn't take her eyes off them for like half an hour."

"She also didn't let go of Jack's hand for most of the day." Garcia said wriggling her eyebrows at Emily.

Emily made a face. "Seriously? They're seven Garcia."

"Puppy love! Adorable, adorable puppy love!" Garcia yelled. JJ reached over and smacked her best friend.

"She is _seven_ Penelope. She is going to stay adorable and innocent and young and not go anywhere near boys _or girls_ until she is 37." JJ said firmly. Emily and Morgan shared a look and both tried to hide their laughter as Garcia pouted. The four of them hung out a little while longer before Morgan drove Garcia home. JJ sat on the couch and motioned for Emily to come over to her. The brunette situated herself comfortably in JJ's arms and sighed at the slight pain in her back. "You should take the pills again." JJ said as she ran her fingers through the raven hair. Emily shook her head and JJ frowned at her. "Em, it will help you get better faster."

"Do you think that's what's bothering her? That I'm hurt? I thought she was okay after we talked to her last night." Emily asked softly.

JJ looked out at the view of DC from their window. She hadn't fought Emily about moving in instead of finding their own place because she loved looking out that window. She wasn't sure what was going on with Rachel, only that something was bothering her. She had been clingy at first and then very distant as she left to go to the zoo. JJ just wasn't sure what else they could do. They had told her over and over that they loved and wanted her, they hugged her, they listened to her, they played with her, she didn't know how else to prove to Rachel that they wouldn't leave. "I don't know." JJ answered her wife. "The lawyer called, everything is almost finalized the social worker needs to come check up on her and get the reports from Dr. Yang."

"Okay, did he say when he would make an appointment?"

"Next week sometime, he'll call."

Emily and JJ headed up to go to bed. After checking on Rachel they happily climbed into the warm covers and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Rachel woke up the next morning from a nightmare. Her mother had snuck into Emily and JJ's apartment and killed herself in their bathroom. Her father had followed her and killed Emily and JJ and taken her away with him again. Rachel woke up crying and wet. Embarrassed that she wet the bed again, she tried to get the sheets off and into the wash herself, not wanting to be a bother to the two women. Rachel figured the more she could do herself, the less of a bother she would be, and the women wouldn't mind letting her stay with them longer. As she tried to drag the sheets down the hall, she was surprised to be met with JJ. Usually the blonde wasn't up this early and Rachel bit her lip nervously.<p>

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'll wash it."

"Rach, its not a problem, come on, I'll help." JJ said with a warm smile. Rachel hesitated but handed over the sheets and walked with JJ to the laundry room. While JJ started the wash, Rachel shed her soiled clothes and changed into new ones. She stole glances at the blonde every once and a while, her emotions mixed with wanting to be held by JJ and wanted to yell at her. "Are you hungry?" JJ asked once they were all set. Rachel just nodded and followed JJ quietly. "Morgan and Garcia said you really loved the elephants?"

"Yeah." Rachel answered as she climbed up onto a stool. "How come you're awake so early?"

JJ laughed as she began making scrambled eggs. "I am capable of getting up early despite what Emily might have told you. I want Em to rest, and I wanted to spend some time with you." JJ said with a smile.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Rachel whispered into her hands.

"Yes." JJ said firmly. She let the eggs cook for a moment and turned to face Rachel. "I promise she is going to be fine."

"When my mom got cut all her blood spilled out and she died." Rachel said with tears in her eyes. "What if her bandage doesn't hold it in?"

JJ froze realizing how terrified Rachel was. Seeing her mother like that so young had damaged her more than anyone could really know. JJ turned the burner off and walked over to sit next to Rachel, taking her hands and waiting for her to meet her eyes. "Rachel, I need you to listen to me very carefully, Emily is going to be fine. I wouldn't lie about that to you, I promise. Emily has a cut on her back, its being held together by stitches and the bandage. She's also got a lot of medicine making her body fix itself, she is not going to bleed to death. When she wakes up, I'll need to change the bandage and I can show it to you so you can see for yourself okay?"

"Okay. So, so you're taking care of her?"

"Of course I am sweetie, she's my wife that's my job."

"But...but you weren't as worried when she got home, I thought you were mad at her and you were gonna fall out of love like Tommy's dads."

JJ's eyes widened and she licked her lips. "What? Wait, who's Tommy? Why..why did you think that?"

"Tommy goes to my school. We play together at recess, he has two dads but they stopped loving each other. He said they used to kiss and be happy all the time like you guys but not anymore. You were mad at Emily."

JJ sighed and pulled Rachel into her lap, hugging her tightly. "Rachel, I'm very sorry that your friend's parents got a divorce, that is sad when it happens but I can promise you, I love Emily more than anything and I have no intentions whatsoever of getting a divorce. And I wasn't mad at her, I was worried and once I saw that she was okay, I wasn't as worried anymore that's all."

Rachel mashed her lips together, realizing that Jack had been right about everything and feeling stupid. She turned herself around to face JJ and looked up at the blonde sheepishly. "So, you guys still want me?" She whispered.

JJ bent down and kissed Rachel on her freckled nose. "Rachel, I will say it as much as you need me to, but I promise you, we are always going to want you. We love you we want to adopt you officially. In fact a social worker is going to come next week to check up on us and then once we fill a few forms, you will legally be ours. Is that something you want?"

"I thought my dad wouldn't let that happen?"

"He was fighting it, but he doesn't have any right to, not with the things he's done. He lost his parental rights, that's why it was taking longer than we hoped."

"So, when you sign those papers, you and Emily will be my moms?" Rachel whispered.

"Yes." JJ said hugging Rachel to her. "If you want it."

Rachel was silent for a few moments, relaxing into JJ's hug and thinking about everything the blonde had told her. She believed her. Almost completely. "JJ, my dad is in jail right?" Rachel asked. JJ nodded. "Can I...can you take me to see him?" Rachel asked so quietly that JJ almost didn't hear her.

"I don't know if that's a very good idea Rachel, but I'll talk to Emily and we'll think about it."

"Okay." Rachel said quietly. The two of them remained in the same position for a few more moments before Rachel turned back around to face JJ. "Can I go see if Emily is awake?"

"Sure, just be careful of her back and if she's asleep don't wake her up okay? She needs her rest and I need you to help me make her take it easy."

"Okay!" Rachel said happily, jumping down off JJ and running up the stairs. She slowed down as she reached the top and tip toed to the master bedroom. Opening the door as quietly as she could, the little girl was delighted to see Emily sitting upright, setting her glass of water back on the nightstand. Emily beamed as she caught sight of Rachel.

"Good morning Munchkin, is JJ downstairs?"

Rachel nodded and slowly walked forward. "Can I please see your cut?" She asked.

Emily frowned. "Kiddo, I..."

"Please? I need to make sure you're not going to bleed as much as Mommy did. JJ said you would show me."

Emily froze at the statement. She hadn't heard the conversation that JJ and Rachel had had downstairs, but she knew enough to figure some of it out from that alone. "I can't actually reach it myself, why don't we head downstairs and JJ can change it for me and you can see it then?"

"Okay."

Emily stood up slowly and walked over to Rachel, taking the little girl's hand. She couldn't bend down to Rachel's level without hurting herself but Rachel thankfully looked up and met her eyes for once. "Rach, I don't know what you and JJ talked about, but I'm fine. I won't bleed that much, its stopped bleeding now I promise."

"JJ told me." Rachel said giving Emily a small smile. "Can we get a big poster of an elephant for my room?"

"Sure we can." Emily said as Rachel gingerly lead her downstairs.

JJ turned and greeted them with a smile. "For once you're the last one awake." She smirked at her wife. "Coffee and eggs. Rachel pop up while its still warm."

"Can I see Emily's cut first please?" Rachel asked, refusing to let go of Emily's hand. The brunette glanced at JJ, raising her eyebrows in question. JJ just shook her head, wordlessly telling her wife she would explain everything later.

"Sure, you grab the bandages, they're right over there." JJ said, pointing. Rachel released Emily's hand and ran to get the first aid kit. JJ sat Emily down on a stool and gently raised her shirt and began pealing the gauze off. Emily bit her lip and made sure not to wince or make any sign that it hurt, worried that it would scare Rachel. The little girl came back with the first aid kit and stared at the large cut on Emily's back. JJ saw her eyes widen in fear and she reached over and pulled her closer. "See these black marks? Those are stitches, they are holding the skin together. They make sure that it heals see?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded and watched as JJ applied the ointment and carefully placed a new gauze pad over it. "See, all done!"

Rachel glanced up at Emily. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope, I took the pills when I woke up and its been almost two full says now, I'll be good as new soon enough."

Rachel held out her pinky finger and waited. Emily smiled at JJ and connected her own pinky to Rachel's. "Okay." Rachel said, satisfied with her answer. The three of them ate breakfast together happily, Rachel seemingly getting back to her old self. She went on and on about all the animals she saw. Explaining information she learned about the tigers, dolphins and elephants eagerly. Emily and JJ listened happily loving the smile that grew on Rachel's face as the day wore on.


	19. Chapter 19

**Happy Friday the 13th you guys, hope nothing unlucky happens:) This is very short because MY COPY OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS BY JOHN GREEN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!. And I will be doing nothing but reading it from this point on, I apologize, but it cannot be helped. I've been waiting _years _for this book. Thank you again for all your comments, I love hearing your thoughts. I just wanted to let you know, that updates are going to be less frequent than they have been. My work schedule is getting a little crazy and I might be starting another story (for glee, not sure yet). You will definitely get at least 2 updates a week (probably more but just to be safe). So, without further ado...**

Emily didn't wince for the first time as she stood up and stretched her back. The stitches had come out three days before and she hadn't felt anymore pain. Rachel had been diligently watching her throughout the entire two weeks. She had become rather clingy, following Emily and JJ around where ever they went. She didn't seem to ever get enough hugs or like to be separated from either of them for any length of time. Rachel had asked to sleep with them almost every night and when she didn't, she would sneak into their room and sleep on the floor. The women were a little worried about how she would react on their next case when they both left. JJ's parents would be coming down to stay with her the next day. Emily and JJ made sure she knew this days before it was happening to try not to sneak anything up on her.

"So you're parents will be here with me and you guys will be gone?" Rachel asked for the third time.

"Yes." JJ said as she popped a grape into her mouth. She watched Rachel contemplate her words and smiled at Emily.

"And where will your case be?"

"Texas." Emily said, she had been repeating this information all morning. Hotch had called to give them a heads up and JJ had immediately called her parents. They were on their way down now to spend the night before Emily and JJ left the next morning.

"And how long will you be gone?"

"We're not sure sweetie, but we'll call you everyday remember?" JJ asked.

"Okay." Rachel said, looking a little dejected.

"Also, Garcia said that she can set up a video chat so you can see us too." Emily said with a smile. Rachel seemed to perk up a bit at the notion. JJ and Emily shared a look and grinned. They were both worried about leaving too. At their last session with Dr. Yang, she had told them that Rachel was definitely displaying signs of separation anxiety. They had done everything the woman had told them too, explaining what would be happening over and over. Luckily, Rachel was much more comfortable with JJ's parents. They had come for visits four times since Rachel met them initially.

"When will Mrs Mary and Mr Andrew be here?" Rachel asked.

JJ smiled. The whole Mrs and Mr thing had initially bothered JJ because she knew Rachel used it to distance herself from the person, but with her parents it was adorable. Rachel herself had said directly to Mary that it was a 'sign of respect'. Mary had been almost as thrilled as if she had said 'grandma'.

"They should be here any minute." JJ said as she ruffled Rachel's hair. "How about you go wash up?"

"Okay!" Rachel hopped down from her stool and ran to the downstairs bathroom at a full sprint, adding a twirl as she opened the door.

"So, what do we think about dance class?" Emily asked JJ as she turned back to her. The brunette watched as her wife turned back around and began washing dishes. Emily was used to this trick and she wasn't having it. "Jen? Dance class? Rachel? Child prodigy dancer? Are we gonna put her in classes?"

"What if it makes her think of her dad? She's only asked about him twice, I don't want to bring up issues for her. She's already got enough." JJ said softly. The two of them had been discussing this idea for almost a month. Rachel danced whenever she felt like it, Emily and JJ had a vast music collection and played it frequently. Rachel held impromptu dance parties for one – which usually became three – very often.

"Well we're not going to force her if she doesn't want to, but I don't think it will hurt to ask."

"Fine, but lets wait until we get back from this case, I want to be the ones that take her, not my parents."

"Sounds good to me." Emily smiled and stood up, walking over to JJ, she wrapped her arms around her wife and kissed her neck. As JJ turned around to reciprocate, the doorbell rang. "Your parents have incredibly shitty timing." Emily moaned.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Rachel yelled as she ran out of the bathroom. JJ opened the door and hugged them both before getting shoved to the side as Rachel lunged herself into her father's arms. "You're late." Rachel accused with a grin.

"I apologize, blame Mary."

"What!" Mary said, smacking her husband's arm. "Give me that child and go get the bags." Mary said with half a smile. Rachel happily allowed herself to be transferred and immediately began discussing all of the things they could do while she was there. JJ glanced over looking horrified at the notion of a food fight.

"Absolutely not." She said firmly to her mother.

"I said no to you, and I'll say no to her. I do know how to take care of a child Jenny." Mary said with a smirk.

"JJ wanted to have a food fight?" Rachel asked looking at the blonde in awe. "She was cool!"

"Was? I _am_ cool." JJ protested, childlike. Emily laughed and held JJ's hand. "I _am_ cool." She repeated. Rachel beamed and climbed off of Mary's lap and onto JJ's. The little girl placed a kiss on JJ's cheek and smiled.

"Very cool." She said nodding. Peaking around JJ's head, she whispered to Emily. "_Mostly cool." _

"I can hear you!" JJ yelped. She tickled Rachel in retaliation until the girl squirmed away and began playing chess with Andrew.

After Rachel had been put to bed, the four adults stayed up a little longer talking.

"So, she seems much better." Mary commented as she sipped her tea.

"Yeah." JJ said, not convincingly.

"Jenny? What is it?"

"Its just...I'm just worried how she will react tomorrow. I told you, she's been really clingy, I know you think everything will be fine, but Mom her doctor said she had separation anxiety. You can't ignore it."

"Jennifer, I am fully aware that the usual rules don't quite apply to this situation, I'm not incompetent. You turned out pretty good. We will be fine, and if we're not, we will call you."

"Fine. Thank you Mom." JJ said sincerely as she and Emily stood up to go to bed. Mary smiled as JJ bent down and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight." JJ whispered. "I love you. Both." She said, hugging her father goodnight.

"Goodnight both of you." Emily said taking JJ's hand.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys, I apologize for the shortness of the last chapter, but I waited years for that book. It was good for the record, but not my favorite from John Green(that would be Paper Towns). Hope this chapter makes up for it. Like I said, updates are going to be a little less frequent than the almost everyday it has been. I hope you enjoy:) The next one probably won't be up until friday or saturday. **

"When are they going to call?" Rachel whined as she kicked her legs back and forth in annoyance. She was currently sitting on one of the island stools doing her homework.

"Soon sweetheart, remember they are actually working." Mary reminded her as she made dinner. Emily and JJ had been gone for three days so far and Rachel was not exactly loving it. She had been rather irritable and had gotten into trouble at school more than once for not paying attention. She wasn't behaving badly exactly, she just clearly wasn't happy. Mary and Andrew had been doing everything they could think off to cheer her up. They read her stories, they had taken her to the library, the park, out for ice cream, rented movies, and to the BAU to visit Garcia, but nothing seemed to work. The little girl wanted one thing and one thing only, Emily and JJ. In a way, Mary was a little happy that Rachel was this upset; it meant the little girl finally allowed herself to show how much she cared about the women.

The ringing of the phone pierced through the almost silence of the apartment and Rachel's face lit up. She jumped off of the stool and ran in a full on sprint to the telephone.

"Hello, Prentiss residence, this is Rachel speaking is this Emily or JJ?" Rachel said the greeting so quickly that all the words mushed together. Mary grinned from over by the stove.

"Hi honey."

"JJ!" Rachel yelled in elation. "I miss you! Did you get the bad guy? Is Emily there? When are you coming home? I didn't wet the bed last night!" She sputtered out questions and comments faster than JJ could follow, bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Slow down sweetie." JJ said with a bright smile on her face. Emily was standing right next to her, her ear pressed as close to the cell phone as she could get. A look from Morgan made JJ realize how ridiculous they looked. She took her wife's hand and pulled them into one of the empty interview rooms and switched the phone to speaker. "Yes, Emily is here, we miss you too, no we haven't caught the bad guy just yet and we'll be a few more days. Congratulations, we're proud of you!"

"Very proud." Emily added.

"You're not coming home?" Rachel whined. Both women could hear the tears and the tantrum waiting behind the seven year old's words. Emily glanced at JJ and gave her wife a knowing look, they needed to do something, or Mary and Andrew were going to have a very sullen girl on their hands.

"Rachel, what did you, Mary and Andrew do today?" Emily asked gently.

"How much longer do you have to be gone?" Rachel whined, ignoring Emily's question. The raven haired woman sighed and glanced at her wife. As she assumed, the blonde profiler was pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand in frustration. JJ had been having a hard time being away from Rachel, Emily had as well, but the brunette had always been better at hiding her emotions. They both had been working hard, to keep their minds off the bubbly seven year old and to get back to her sooner. The whole team noted their discomfort. Hotch in particular had done his best to offer some from of comfort to both women; knowing how hard it had been for him at first to leave Jack.

"We have to stay and do our jobs Rach, we never know how long it will take remember?" Emily prodded.

"I hate your jobs." Rachel grumbled as she kicked the wall.

"Rachel!" Mary scolded her. Rachel looked at her grandmother with a scowl and held her leg up to kick the wall again. "Don't you dare young lady." Mary warned. "If you're upset, use your words." Instead of kicking the wall, Rachel stamped her foot and slammed the phone down on the tabletop in front of Mary and ran upstairs. "RACHEL!" Mary yelled after her.

"Mom?" JJ asked, still on the line. "What's going on?"

Mary picked up the phone with a sigh and motioned for Andrew to follow Rachel. The man somewhat reluctantly rose from the couch and made his way upstairs. "Jenny? She's a little upset and I think she'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Mom, should we come home?" JJ asked, apprehensively.

"No sweetheart." Mary said quickly. "She is going to have to get used to it, she will be fine, you will solve the case and then come home."

"But.."

"No. Jenny, she's fine, just a little upset. She has a session with Dr. Yang tomorrow and she will be fine."

JJ glanced warily at Emily and the two knew that Mary was right. As much as they didn't like it, this was their life unless they wanted to find new jobs. "Just...Mom, just call us if she really needs us to come home. One of us could at least."

"Just work hard and get your guy, Rachel will be fine." Mary said firmly.

* * *

><p>Andrew plodded up the stairs and made his way to Rachel's bedroom. He smiled at the crayon drawn sign on the door. Rachel had made in in one of her sessions with Dr. Yang. It showed everyone at the BAU with Rachel smack dab in the middle of them, her arms up in the air. Her drawings were definitely adorable. Andrew knocked twice on the door and waited.<p>

"Who is it?" Rachel asked in an accusatory tone.

"Andrew, may I come in?"

"I guess so." Rachel grumbled.

Andrew opened the door and grinned. He had to remind himself sometimes that Rachel wasn't actually biologically related to Jenny. She was laying on her back in the center of her floor, arms and legs sprawled out and huffing every few seconds or so. Jenny used to do the exact same thing when she was upset. "Hi kiddo." He said as he situated himself on the floor, leaning against her bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Only Dr. Yang gets to ask me that."

"Not true. Its her job to ask you that, its my pleasure."

Rachel lifted her head and gave him a look very reminiscent of Emily when she was annoyed. He bit back a laugh. Rachel had learned their mannerisms so quickly. "That doesn't make any sense Mr. Andrew." She said.

"Are you okay Rachel?" He asked softly.

"No I am not okay. I like having you and Mrs. Mary here, but I don't like having Emily and JJ gone."

"Yeah, that's pretty normal."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Rachel looked back up at the ceiling and was silent for a few moments. Andrew almost went to get up when Rachel finally spoke up again. "Can we read a book?" Rachel asked.

"Sure." Andrew said happily. "How about _Wizard of Oz_?" He picked up the book and Rachel quickly got up from the floor.

"NO!" She yelled. "Not that one!" She grabbed it from his hands a little roughly. "Sorry." She apologized. "I...Emily and I read that one. A different one okay?"

"Sure, no problem." Andrew said with a smile. "How about..." He looked at the extensive bookshelf. Emily had gone a little overboard with finding books for Rachel to read. They're were already books she could read all the way up through college, and practically every children's book known to man. "Grimm's fairy tales?"

"Okay!" Rachel climbed up onto the bed and situated herself onto Andrew's lap. She had grown much more comfortable with him in the last three days. Mary had walked up the stairs a moment before and peaked into Rachel's room. She beamed at the sight of her husband reading to their granddaughter. Raising her cellphone, she snapped a quick picture and texted it to JJ.

**I told you. **

* * *

><p>JJ felt her phone buzz and glanced down, grinning as she saw the message. She passed the phone over to Emily across the table and watched the worry melt off her wife's face. Hotch caught a look at it as Emily passed the phone back over to the blonde. "Cute." He commented and then went back to his file. They weren't having much luck on this case so far. Three days in and the bodies were piling up with very little to go on. Everyone was frustrated. "Guys, lets call it a night." Hotch said with a sigh. "We're getting nowhere tonight and we're already severely lacking in sleep. Go get some sleep, well meet back here at eight." Reluctantly, but also relieved the team gathered their things and trudged off to the hotel.<p>

Emily and JJ dropped their bags down and began going through the motions of preparing themselves for bed. Both women were quiet, half asleep already as they crawled under the covers. JJ reached over and pulled Emily into her with a happy sigh.

"I want to go home." She whispered. "I hate this case."

"Me too, but we'll get him." Emily insisted.

"How Em? There is nothing to go on. Worse than nothing!" JJ said as she ran her fingers through her hair in annoyance.

"I don't know, but we always find something, and we will again its just going to suck a lot for a while until we do."

"Very eloquent." JJ said with a smirk.

"Shut up I'm tired." Emily groaned childishly as she buried her face into JJ's neck.

"Make me." JJ said seductively. Emily froze.

"Jen, we're on a case, we made that rule a long time ago. We should try for some semblance of professionalism." Emily tried to insist. She knew though, JJ would probably win this in a matter or seconds.

"I miss our daughter, this case sucks, I have a hot wife and I'm horny. Screw professionalism." JJ growled as she rolled herself on top of Emily. The brunette happily removed her shirt and began to kiss her wife. Screw professionalism indeed.

* * *

><p>"So, how are you feeling Rachel?" Dr. Yang asked as the little girl got herself situated on the chair.<p>

"Medium." Rachel said as she spun around once.

"Medium?" Dr. Yang asked.

"Yep. I like Mary and Andrew, but I don't like Emily and JJ being gone, so I'm medium."

Dr. Yang smiled as Rachel kicked her legs out harder and spun herself around four times in a row. "How was school today? No more trouble?"

"Not really." Rachel said sheepishly.

Dr. Yang raised her eyebrows. "Ah, and what does that mean?" She asked, slightly amused. Rachel's knack for getting into trouble was quite astounding.

Rachel mashed her lips together and spun around again to avoid answering the question. Dr. Yang waited until Rachel looked up and met her in the eye. "It was Tommy's fault!" Rachel exclaimed. "He talks to me and its rude not to answer back."

Dr. Yang hid a smile. "That is true, but it is also rude to talk in the middle of class don't you think?"

"Not if its boring." Rachel stated simply.

"Even if you find something boring, sometimes you have to learn it anyway. Unfortunately, that's a part of school and life. How are you liking your grandparents staying with you?"

Rachel shrugged. "They're nice. I like them."

Dr. Yang could tell there was something else on Rachel's mind, and the little girl wasn't going to offer anything up without being prodded. "Rachel?" She asked.

"Do you think..." Rachel began. She didn't appear to know exactly how to ask the question so she fidgeted instead.

"Ask it any way you want. Remember our rule?"

"I can say anything in here. Its stays between us and its safe." Rachel chanted out the mantra in a bored voice. "Its just...do you think...well, you and everyone call Mary and Andrew my grandparents and Tommy and Jack call their grandparents things like Grandma and Grandpa and stuff. Also, they call their parents Mom and Dad or something...but I don't do that." Rachel quieted down a bit, but Dr. Yang didn't respond. She waited, letting Rachel have the time she needed to get out what was on her mind. "Does that...does that make them _not_ my parents and grandparents?"

"No not necessarily." Dr. Yang answered. "Families are all different, and they have to do what works for them."

"I asked JJ if I could see my dad." Rachel admitted quietly. Dr. Yang's eyebrows rose in surprise. She hadn't seen that one coming.

"Really?" She asked. Rachel nodded her head. "Do you miss him?"

"Not really, he didn't like me very much."

"Yet you want to see him?" She asked.

Rachel nodded. "I want to ask him something."

"Oh, may I ask what that is?"

"No thank you." Rachel said with her head down. Dr. Yang had a feeling Rachel wouldn't broach anymore on the subject. They spent the rest of the session drawing and talking about what Rachel had done with her grandparents over the last four days. By the time it was over, Rachel was much happier and skipped out to the waiting room to meet Mary.

"How did it go?" Mary asked as she swung Rachel's arm back and forth.

"Good!" Rachel said happily. She spun herself around under Mary's arm causing both women to smile.

"Mary, will you have either Emily or JJ call me when they get back?" Dr. Yang asked.

"Is...did something go wrong?" Mary asked worriedly.

"No, no, just something we need to chat about when they get a chance." Dr. Yang reassured her.


	21. Chapter 21

**I have never been to a jail, visited anyone in jail, and don't know a single thing about the rules and regulations to get into jail. I highly doubt this situation would go down at all, so please just suspend your disbelief. I should have the next chapter up sometime late tomorrow night or early sunday morning. Hope you enjoy:)**

Rachel sat as still as she could, the _Wizard of Oz_ resting in her lap, and the phone clutched in her hands. The curly haired little girl hadn't moved in almost thirty-five minutes. An eternity to an impatient seven year old. Rachel's eyes were glued to the phone, willing it ring. Instead, the walkie-talkie on her bedside table cracked to life.

"Scarecrow? Scarecrow are you there? Over."

Rachel reluctantly rolled over and grabbed it, pressing the button, but keeping the phone in her other hand. "Yeah Jack, I'm here."

"No! The code names remember! And you have to say over at the end. Over." Jack reminded her.

"Sorry, yeah, Tin man, I'm here, over."

"Guess what? Over."

"What?"

"You forgot over again. Over."

Rachel groaned. "What? _Over._"

"My daddy called. Over."

Rachel pouted. If Mr. Hotch had called Jack, then Emily should have called her. It wasn't fair. "So what?" She said angrily. "_Over._" She remembered to add.

"So what!" Jack exclaimed. He couldn't understand why Rachel wasn't as excited as he was at this news. "So, he said that they have gotten almost all the clues to get the bad guy! They were gonna go get him and make him go to jail tonight! They win again!" Jack cheered loudly as he danced on his bed a little. Rachel looked longingly at the silent phone in her hand. "They might be home later tonight or tomorrow when we get done with school! How cool is that? Over."

"Really cool." Rachel mumbled unenthusiastically. Jack frowned. His best friend should be much more excited about this.

"You forgot over. Over." He chastised again.

"Jack, we're best friends right?" Rachel asked shyly.

"Tin man!" He yelled. "And say over, but yes we're best friends. Over."

"_Tin man_." Rachel said with a huff. "Can...well best friends help each other no matter what right? Over."

Jack smiled. "Of course they do! Over."

"Well...do you wanna help me with something tomorrow? Over." Rachel asked at almost a whisper. She didn't like asking people for things, but she didn't think she could do this by herself. Plus, Jack wasn't people, he was Jack.

"Sure, after school when Daddy, Aunt JJ and Aunt Emily get home?" He asked.

"You forgot over." Rachel said with a smirk. "And no, before that. _Over_."

"Before that we have school. Over." Jack said confused.

"I know, I'm taking a hookey day. I need to go on a trip, do you want to come? Over."

"A hookey day? Like skip school? That's not allowed! Over."

"We don't have to tell anyone. Over."

"I don't...I don't get it Rachel." Jack admitted.

Rachel sighed. She ignored all the stupid walkie-talkie rules. Emily hadn't called her and this was important. "I need to see my dad and ask him a question. I'm going tomorrow if you want to come with me."

"But Rachel, we're seven the jail is a long ways away, how are you going to get there by yourself?"

Rachel smiled. Maybe she was incompetent so far in school, but she knew things other kids didn't. Rachel knew how to take a bus places. She knew how to hit strangers who bothered her, she knew how to sneak away from grown ups, she knew how to sneak into places without grown ups seeing her. This was the easiest part. "We take the bus. I already looked on the maps and I know which bus we have to take and how long it will take us. If we go to school, then we sneak away after your Aunt Jessica drops you off, we get on the bus and ride to the jail, then we tell the warden we need to speak to Frankie Gallagher and then I ask my dad my question, we get on another bus and we're back at school by the time we get picked up. Easy! Over!"

Jack was apprehensive. Rachel did sound like she knew what she was talking about, but he had a feeling that his daddy wouldn't like her plan very much. On the other hand, Jack had to do a presentation tomorrow and he didn't really like talking in front of the class; plus, he had never been to a jail before, or on a bus by himself.

"Okay Scarecrow, what is the plan? Over." He asked excitedly.

Rachel beamed and began explaining everything they would need. By the time the phone finally did ring, the two of them had everything set for the next day. "Hello?" Rachel answered softly. "Prentiss residence."

"Hi sweetie, sorry I called a little late, but we've had a breakthrough and I don't think I'm going to be able to read to you tonight. But good news, we should be home tomorrow!" Emily said, trying to cheer Rachel up.

"Fine, goodnight. Don't get hurt again." Rachel said sourly.

"Wait, Rach...I love you, and JJ wants to say goodnight too." Emily said quickly. Rachel huffed, but kept the phone to her ear and waited.

"Hey baby!" JJ said happily. "Are you excited? We'll be home tomorrow when you get home from school!"

"Cool, see you then." Rachel said as she hung the phone up.

JJ held the phone away from her ear, catching Emily's watchful eye, she didn't allow herself to show that it hurt. There was a reason Emily wasn't calling to read a chapter of _Wizard of Oz_ – something she had tried to do all six days they had been gone – they were donning their kevlar vests and heading out to the unsub's house right now.

"We'll be home tomorrow." Emily reassured her wife – and herself.

* * *

><p>Rachel held her breath and counted to ten, then she sprinted across the courtyard and down the street. It was still cold, but spring was going to be arriving soon. Rachel hugged her coat a little closer and slowed to a quick walk. Luckily, Jack's school was close to hers, only a couple of blocks away. Rachel had found a map and memorized it until she knew every street name and lots of different markers in case she got lost. She had to read maps a lot when her dad left her alone and she got a lot of practice finding her way by herself.<p>

Fourteen minutes later, Rachel walked into the front courtyard of Jack's school. "Pssst." Someone whispered. "Psst. Scarecrow!"

Rachel turned around and grinned at the sight of Jack hiding in a bush. "Come on!" She said, pulling him up. "We're gonna miss the bus!" The two seven year olds ran ahead, their backpacks still slung over their shoulders. Rachel had packed two bananas and two granola bars so they didn't get hungry on the bus. As the bus pulled up at the stop, Jack froze. Rachel reached over and took his hand, smiling and pulling him forward. She dropped two dollars into the slot and walked back to the seats without a word to the driver. She had learned that if you act like you know what you're doing, and like you have a the right to be there, people will assume that you do. Rachel pushed Jack in by the window and took the aisle seat, still holding onto his hand. "Its an adventure Tin man." She whispered. "It'll be fun."

The drive to the jail took almost an hour. The two of them grew bored very quickly so they began to play games to pass the time. Cat's cradle, I Spy, and a game they invented where they pointed to a random person and had to make up a story about them. Rachel liked that one best. When it came to be their turn to get off, Rachel pulled the chord and grabbed Jack, pushing him up and off of the bus quickly. The driver started to say something, but Rachel pushed Jack ahead and they two of them ran ahead and out of his sight.

"Now what?" Jack asked as he looked around nervously.

"We go in, through those gate things." Rachel said. She grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him along, walking confidently up to the man standing at the entrance. She stood up on her toes and tried to see over the counter. "Hello sir, my name is Rachel Gallagher and I would like to visit my father please." She said with a smile. The man looked a little taken aback. He glanced around above them, looking for an adult.

"Are you with anyone?" He asked.

"Oh yeah!" Rachel said happily. "This is my friend Jack."

"No, like an adult."

"Well, if you let me in, I'll be with my dad." Rachel said as if the man should know that already.

"Kid I can't...is you're mom here?"

"My mother killed herself when she was four. I live with my foster parents. His dad is an FBI agent and you need to let us in right now or he will come and arrest you." Rachel said with a glare. Jack's eyebrows shot up in shock and Rachel kicked him. He yelped. But quickly tried to look like Rachel knew what she was talking about. He nodded.

"Umm...do your foster parents know you're here?" He asked skeptically.

Rachel grinned. She had planned for this. Rachel had spent the entire night practicing her writing after she hung up with Emily and JJ. She dug into her backpack and produced a piece of paper happily. "This is a note from my foster dad, he doesn't have very good handwriting. He was gonna come, but he got called into work on an emergency. He's a doctor and he has to save people." She said seriously. Rachel and he father had gotten very good at lying over the years.

The man read the note, a look of suspicion still on his face, but he sighed. "Do you have some form of id?" He asked. Rachel dug around her backpack and found the photo id that her private school issued and handed it to the man. He glanced at it with a frown and turned to make a phone call. Jack bit his lip and looked at Rachel, worried that they might be getting arrested for skipping school and trying to break into a jail. Rachel kicked him again. "Okay, apparently you are this Gallagher guy's kid, so you can go in, but he can't and you're supposed to have adult supervision."

"Okay, that's fine can Jack come inside though?"

"Yes."

The two of them followed the man inside and it finally hit Rachel that she was terrified. Her front of confidence and 'having an adventure' was all pretty much bullshit. Jack seemed to pick up on this change in her demeanor and instantly slipped his hand into hers. Rachel was too grateful to kick him.

The two of them walked in silence, hand in hand through the cold dark walls. All of the adults looked bored and upset and Rachel didn't like any of them. She gripped Jack's hand tighter as a woman took their bags and patted them down. "He has to wait here." She said as she pointed to Jack. "David will be in there with you the whole time." The woman pointed to a guard who gave Rachel a small smile and a wave. That didn't make Rachel feel much better, she had seen her father hurt people way bigger than him, but she walked forward with her head held high anyway.

The room was small. And big. Rachel hated it.

She shot a glance at David The Guard and took a seat at the empty chair near the corner. She looked through the glass wall and saw her father, handcuffed, walking into the room. Rachel stopped breathing.

"You gotta talk through the phone." David explained to her.

Rachel picked it up and brought it to her ear as she watched her father do the same. "Hi." He said with a frown.

"Hi." Rachel whispered.

"How come you're here? I'm not your dad anymore those two women got my rights taken away." He said with a sneer.

"I...I just wanted to ask you something please sir." Rachel was sure to call him 'sir' and mind her manners. Being impolite had always made Frankie angry.

"What?" He asked harshly. Rachel felt like she was going to throw up and she wanted JJ. Right now. This had been a bad idea.

"I...I was just wondering if...is, maybe..."

"Spit it out kid!" Frankie yelled in frustration. Rachel began to tear up and did everything she could to stop it. Frankie hated it when she cried. It always made him twice as angry. He groaned and banged the phone against the wall. "Fucking hell." He said. A guard glanced over at them and looked like he was going to step in.

Rachel tried again. "I...can I please...I mean may, _may_ I please just ask if..."

"Rachel! What the fuck is it!" Frankie yelled. Rachel leaned back in her seat, unable to stop herself from crying anymore. The next thing she knew, strong arms were around her and lifting her up into the air. Rachel began kicking and screaming for help and begging Frankie to leave her alone.

"Sweetie, is me." Emily's voice cooed. Rachel stopped fighting instantly and clung to Emily tightly. "Its okay, I've got you. I've got you." She said hugging her tightly.

"LISTEN YOU FUCKER!" JJ screamed as she banged the glass wall with her hand. Frankie jumped back in surprise and David The Guard moved forward to try to pull the blonde away. "IF YOU EVER TRY TO CONTACT HER AGAIN, YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE DEAD. DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Jen..." Emily said, pulling gently on her wife's arm.

"Listen lady,_ she_ came and talked to _me_, I was doing her a favor." Frankie insisted angrily. "I don't want her. I never wanted her."

Rachel gripped Emily tightly at the words and the tears began flowing much harder. JJ bent down and picked up the telephone, dropping her voice to a whisper that Rachel couldn't hear. "Do not ever speak to her again. I promise you, you will regret it." JJ warned. She hung up the phone calmly and led Emily and Rachel out of the room. The three of them walked silently, Emily carrying a still crying Rachel who refused to let go. As they made it to the entrance, they met Hotch and Jack. Rachel didn't pay any attention as JJ and Emily apologized again and they all went outside to their cars. Hotch pulled Jack along after he gave Rachel a small apologetic wave. Apparently, Jack had called his dad and told them where they were. He felt horrible about it.

When Emily tried to put Rachel in the car seat, she screamed and clung to her neck, beginning to cry all over again.

"Okay, okay." Emily said softly, holding her tightly and rubbing her back. "You're okay Rach."

"I'll drive, get in back with her." JJ said cooly. Emily shot her a small glare and climbed in carefully, buckling herself and Rachel in as best she could. JJ pulled out and the three of them remained silent the entire drive home. When they entered the apartment, it was empty. Apparently, Mary and Andrew had gone to a hotel to give them women some space, promising to be back to say goodbye tomorrow. Emily carried Rachel inside as JJ walked to the kitchen and stood, clenching her teeth, her hands on her hips, and her foot tapping in anger. "I'm going to change." She said tightly. Emily nodded and rubbed Rachel's back again as JJ walked upstairs.

The blonde was so angry she was shaking. She knew that if she didn't get away from Rachel right now, she would explode and terrify the girl. Her anger wasn't directed at Rachel – not really – it was at Frankie, and the situation in general. The fact they had been gone so long, how frustrating their latest case had been, and that Frankie had hurt Rachel, _again_. If she was honest with herself, she was angry at Rachel too. The girl had lied to her grandparents, skipped school, taken herself to a jail to visit a serial killer, lied yet again and brought Jack along with her.

JJ ripped her blouse off and threw it on the bed, shivering a little as the cold air hit her bare stomach. She pulled on a t-shirt, a sweater and some yoga pants before pulling her hair up and sighing. JJ pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten, then walked out of her room and downstairs.

Emily and Rachel were sitting on the couch, Rachel still hadn't calmed down and from the look on Emily's face, she had yet to be able to talk to her. JJ nodded and sat down next to her wife. The three of them sat silently for a moment, letting Rachel calm herself down. Once she seemed to have cried as much as she could, she shyly lifted her head up from Emily's neck. JJ gave her a small smile. "Hi sweetie." She said softly.

Rachel desperately wanted to crawl over and have JJ hug her, but she was afraid the blonde was mad at her. "I'm sorry." She whispered to both of them.

JJ shared a look with Emily and her face softened even more than it already had. "We know, so are we." She said motioning for Rachel to come to her. The little girl hesitated just a moment before connecting her eyes to JJ's. All she saw was love, no anger, no fear, Rachel climbed over and hugged JJ tightly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again.

"Rach, why didn't you ask us? Why did you lie and go see him?" Emily asked gently.

"I just needed to ask him something, I'm sorry."

"What did you need to ask?"

"Nothing. Its not important." Rachel said quickly. Emily and JJ shared a look over Rachel's head. They wanted to know, but tonight didn't seem like the time to press the issue.

"Rach, can you please do us a favor?" JJ asked. Rachel looked up at JJ, then Emily and nodded. "Don't ever do something like that again. _Ask us._ You can't go off on your own. We can't take care of you if you don't let us."

"I know. I'm really sorry. Tell Mr. Hotch it was my fault. I made Jack come." Rachel insisted quickly. She wasn't very scared of Mr. Hotch anymore, but she was afraid that he might be mad at Jack and it was all her fault.

"Rachel, you didn't force him, he came on his own accord." Emily said.

"What's a chord?" Rachel asked.

"_Accord." _Emily corrected her. "It means, he went willingly, he knew he could get in trouble and he went anyway; but Hotch knows it was your idea."

"Is he is trouble?"

"I think so, I think he is grounded this weekend." Emily said with a nod. Rachel's eyes widened.

"Am I in trouble?"

Emily shot a glance at her wife and caught the smirk on the blonde's face. "Yes." JJ insisted. Rachel whipped her head back to her. "You most definitely are in trouble." She said. Before Rachel could imagine the things awaiting her, JJ quickly explained. "You're also grounded this weekend. No tv, no computer games, no library, no park. And on monday, you are getting picked up and taken to the BAU once school is over. There, you will sit quietly and do your homework until Emily and I get out of work. That will continue all week long."

"A whole week!" Rachel exclaimed.

"It could be longer." JJ said seriously. Rachel nodded and cast her eyes downward in shame. JJ wrapped her arms around the girl and kissed the top of her head. "We love you." She whispered.

For the first time, Rachel believed her.


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry guys, I thought this was gonna be up earlier this morning, but I got called into work. Loved to hear your comments from the last chapter, yes, you will find out what Rachel wanted to ask her dad. This one isn't very long, but I should have a longer one up either tomorrow or tuesday. Hope you enjoy:) **

JJ glanced over and smirked as she saw Rachel continually poking Morgan in the arm. Morgan dropped his pen and tickled her stomach to try to get her away. Rachel only side stepped him and went to poke his other arm.

"Rach!" JJ called out warningly. "Come over here and let him work."

Rachel gave JJ a mini version of her own glare which caused JJ to raise her eyebrows in shock for a moment before returning it full force. Rachel groaned, poked Morgan one last time, and trotted over to JJ. "I don't like being grounded." She announced as she slammed her head into JJ's shoulder.

JJ couldn't help but smile. "Yes, most people find they don't enjoy it."

"Can we maybe stop then?" Rachel asked hopefully. JJ looked across at her wife and shared a smile with her. Rachel had been taking this grounding much worse than the first one. She continually complained and grumbled about everything. A week did seem incredibly long to a seven year old, and JJ was almost just as thankful that it would be over tomorrow as Rachel was.

"No sweetie, one more day." She said for the third time that afternoon. "If you behave really well tonight and tomorrow, we'll do something fun on saturday."

"Fine." Rachel grumbled. "How much long till we can be done?" She asked.

"About two more hours."

"Ughh." Rachel slammed her head into JJ's shoulder again. JJ hid a smile and rubbed her back.

"Why don't you read some of your book?" JJ asked.

"Because I'm stupid and I can't read." Rachel moaned, her face still resting on JJ's shoulder. The blonde glanced back over at her wife and saw a frown mimicking her own. They hated when Rachel talked like this, she had been doing much better in school recently, but she never seemed to feel proud of herself.

"You are not stupid." JJ insisted. She pulled Rachel's face away from her shoulder and held her chin in her hand, forcing Rachel to look at her. "And you can too read."

"Okay, but I don't want to." Rachel said simply. "I want to play with Morgan."

"Morgan has work to do and you are grounded."

"I hate being grounded." Rachel said as she flopped herself down on the floor. She sprawled herself out and closed her eyes. "I'm taking a nap." She announced. "You people are boring."

It took everything JJ had not to laugh. She bit her lips hard and saw Emily doing the same. Morgan and Reid were not fairing as well. JJ decided to leave Rachel to it so she could get her work done faster.

Rachel opened one eye and glanced up at JJ, as she had hoped, the blonde was no longer looking at her. She closed that eye and opened the other one, looking over at Emily. Neither of them were watching. Rachel opened both her eyes, rolled over on her stomach and began army crawling away from the bullpen. She realized that she wasn't very good at it, but she pressed on anyway until she made it to the stairs. With a final glance back, the team were all still busy working, Rachel ran up the stairs and burst into Hotch's office, closing the door. Hotch looked up surprised as Rachel leaned against the door and pressed a finger to her lips.

"I'm escaping Mr. Hotch, can I hide in here?"

Hotch cocked his head to the side in confusion, frankly, he was amused and and happy that Rachel was okay being alone with him. "Umm...Rachel, I think you're supposed to stay downstairs." He began.

"Is Jack still grounded?" Rachel asked, walking forward and ignoring him.

"No, yesterday was his last day." Hotch answered as he watched Rachel push his chair back and climb under his desk. "What...what are you doing?" He asked as she got comfortable.

"Hiding."

"From who?"

"Emily and JJ."

"You know I can't really help you with that right?"

"Cause Emily and JJ are your friends?"

"Um...yes basically." Hotch said. Rachel was a very interesting kid. He wasn't quite sure how to act around her yet as she only recently started to feel comfortable around him.

"Mr. Hotch...can I ask you something?" Rachel whispered into her knees.

"Sure Rachel." Hotch said giving her a smile.

"You've talked to a lot of bad guys like my dad right?" She asked softly. Hotch nodded. "Are they all alike?"

"No, they're not all alike, but I guess they do tend to have some similarities."

"Do a lot of them have kids too?"

Hotch dropped his pen and looked down at Rachel, he had a feeling that he knew where this was going. "Some of them do."

Rachel bit her lip and pulled her knees in tighter. "Mr. Hotch, do...do the kids of bad guys become bad guys too?"

Hotch froze, he had a feeling that was what she was leaning to, but he had been hoping it wasn't. "Rachel, come up here." He said kindly. Reluctantly, Rachel crawled up and stood close to Hotch, not looking him in the eye. As he spoke, she played with the edge of his tie. "No." He said firmly. "Just because your father did horrible things to people doesn't mean you will grow up to do them too."

"How do you know?" Rachel whispered. "Cause...cause Emily and JJ say they love me and they want to be my moms, but if I'm bad like my dad they won't anymore. I wanted...I wanted to ask him why he did all that stuff to those women so I would know what not to do." Rachel began tearing up a little and she pulled lightly at Hotch's tie. "What if I'm bad too and I don't know? He wouldn't tell me, I got scared." Rachel was actively crying now and Hotch's paternal instincts kicked in. He picked her up and pulled her onto his lap, hugging her against his chest. Thankfully, Rachel leaned in and let him hug her. Hotch rubbed her back with one hand and snatched his phone with the other. He did his best to type out a text to Emily and JJ, in case one of them didn't have their phone with them.

"Rachel, I promise you won't turn out like him." Hotch said as he set his phone down. "I've talked to a lot of people, good and bad, and I've been at this job for a very long time. There is one thing that I know, if people are loved, if they have people in their lives who care for them, they can overcome almost anything." Hotch looked Rachel in the eye and she looked so worried it broke his heart. "I have also known Emily and JJ for a long time, I can tell you with certainty that they love you and they're not going to suddenly stop. You're a good person Rachel. People do have to work at being a good person, but I think you can do it."

"Really?" Rachel whispered.

Hotch pressed his forehead against Rachel's, something that always seemed to cheer Jack up. "Really." He said with a smile. He heard footsteps ascending the stairs and figured Emily and JJ were about to burst through, terrified. His text had been a little exaggerated. Rachel wrapped her arms around Hotch's neck and placed a kiss on his cheek as the door opened. "I like you Mr. Hotch." She said with a smile. "You're not scary at all."

He looked up at Emily and JJ, smiling to let them know the matter was somewhat resolved. Their faces relaxed slightly. "Are...is everything okay?" Emily asked, not sure how to react to Rachel hugging Hotch.

"I think so." Hotch said looking to Rachel.

"I think the grounding is too stressful to me and I should be ungrounded now like Jack." Rachel said hopefully.

"Where do you get this stuff Rach?" JJ asked with a laugh.

Rachel hopped off Hotch's lap and ran over to Emily, practically climbing up the brunette until she lifted her into her arms. "When Garcia babysits we watch too much television and she teaches me fun big words." Rachel said with a smile. Emily and JJ broke into laughter.

"Humm...maybe Garcia is going to need some more supervision then." JJ said as she looked to Hotch. The look he gave her made her realize he would explain whatever had gone on later, it didn't seem to be pressing now.

"Hey guys, you can go home." Hotch said. "Tell the guys too. I'll see you tomorrow at 9:30."

"Thanks Hotch." Emily said sincerely. He nodded to her and went back to his work smiling to himself. They were going to be fine.


	23. Chapter 23

"Does she look like you?" Rachel asked as she played with Emily's hair. The brunette smiled, she loved how affectionate Rachel had become. The week of her grounding had served her well. Hotch had told them what had happened with his and Rachel's conversation and they were a little worried. Rachel had never expressed that fear to either of them and it was lingering in the back of their minds constantly now.

"Umm...kind of." Emily answered.

"And she's got lots of money?"

"Yep."

"And she's an important lady?"

"She's an Ambassador."

"That sounds boring." Rachel said as she tried to braid a little of Emily's hair.

Emily chuckled as JJ walked down the stairs. "It is." She whispered. "But don't tell her that when you meet her."

Elizabeth had called twice since Emily ran into her on the case in New York. Emily had spoken with her at length about Rachel and everything that had happened with her. Their conversations had grown from civil to semi normal. They had finally arranged for Rachel to meet her. Emily was nervous about it, her mother made her crazy and with everything that had been going on with Rachel recently, she wasn't sure if it was the best idea right now. JJ had figured that they might as well get it over with, since they doubted it would go all that well anyway.

"Okay ladies, we're going to be late if we don't leave right now. The Ambassador is not fond of lateness." JJ said as she snatched her keys.

"Does she have a really big house?" Rachel asked.

"She has several." Emily said while rolling her eyes and lifting Rachel off her lap. Giving her a little swat on the bottom she smirked at her wife as Rachel ran over to the coat room. JJ smacked her while Rachel's attention was elsewhere. "What?" Emily whispered to the blonde. "Its true!"

"If you be nice, hopefully your mother will be nice and Rachel won't freak out, so smile and don't be sarcastic. Rachel picks up on it and a sarcastic seven year old is not going to make our lives any fun."

"You worry too much." Emily said as she stood and dodged JJ's second smack.

The drive to the Ambassador's home was full of nervous energy. Emily was driving and taking every opportunity where she looked in the rear view mirror to glance at Rachel. The seven year old was kicking her legs wildly back and forth and clicking her tongue. "Emily?" She asked after about twenty minutes of driving.

"Yes Rach?" She asked with a smile.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Rachel said into her hands.

JJ pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sweetie, we told you to go before we left." She said with a sigh.

"I didn't have to go then!" Rachel insisted.

"Reid's place is right up here, we can stop in and she can go there." Emily said as she took JJ's hand down from her face and held it. "We'll only be two minutes late." Emily said to the blonde. She pulled into Reid's garage and Rachel all but leapt out of the car and ran to the elevator, continually pressing the buzzer.

"Spence!" She yelled into the intercom. "Let me in NOW!"

Emily laughed and caught up to her. "Reid, can you let us in so Rach can use the bathroom?" She asked.

"Sure, hang on I'll be right down." Reid answered, sounding rather amused.

Rachel crossed her legs, hopped up and down and whimpered while she waited. It was hard not to laugh. Reid came down and let them in with a smile. Rachel didn't even greet him as she ran past him, up the stairs and to the bathroom. "Thanks Reid." Emily said. "We're going to visit my mother, we're kind of late." She explained.

"Its fine." Reid said with a laugh. "Don't you kind of...well hate your mother?" He asked gently.

"Kind of yes." Emily answered with a grin. JJ slapped her. "Ow." Emily protested, slapping JJ back. "You are very abusive today." She whispered.

"You are driving me crazy." JJ whispered back. "And if Rachel hears you saying you hate your mother, she is going to be apprehensive about meeting her and we will have an afternoon of shit on our hands."

"Its kind of funny when you two fight." Reid whispered as he leaned in next to them. Both women turned to him and glared. He sank back into his seat as Rachel came bounding back into the living room.

"Let's get this show on the road!" She yelled. JJ snorted. Rachel's skirt was tucked into the back of her tights.

"Baby, come here." She said with a laugh. JJ yanked her skirt out and fixed her tights while Rachel made funny faces at Reid. "Stop that!" JJ chastised Reid as he made one back at her. "We're late! Come on Em, Rach, up, in the car now!" JJ ordered as she hauled Rachel along.

"Reid, your toothbrush holder is a tardis!" Rachel said in awe.

"I know, I bought it." Reid answered.

"Can we get one?" Rachel asked Emily as she put her sweater back on.

"We can think about it." Emily answered. "But after we visit my mother."

"Let's go then!" Rachel said excitedly as she yanked both women's arms outside. The rest of the drive went by quickly, JJ grew increasingly nervous – Elizabeth was not exactly her favorite person in the world – she tended to make Emily feel awful and JJ feel extremely protective. JJ was worried that if Elizabeth did one little thing to make Rachel feel bad, she would whip out her gun. That was exactly why she didn't bring it. "Wow!" Rachel exclaimed as they pulled up the long drive to the Ambassador's home. "This is HUGE! Emily! JJ! Look how big it is!"

"Yeah, I know." Emily said as she pulled the car to a stop.

"Is this where you grew up?" Rachel asked while she waited for JJ to give her the okay to unbuckle. JJ nodded and Rachel burst out of the car.

"Partly." Emily answered.

"Where else did you grow up?" Rachel asked as she slipped her hand into Emily's. The three of them made their way up to the front door and Rachel happily pressed the doorbell.

"Umm...Russia, France, Italy, here in DC, and Boston." Emily railed off the cities quickly, not wanting to think about her childhood at this particular moment.

"Wow!" Rachel exclaimed twirling herself with Emily's hand. "Did you grow up anywhere else JJ?"

"Nope, just East Allegheny like you saw." JJ said with a tight smile. The door opened and they were greeted by a maid.

"Hello, the Ambassador is in the dining room, right this way." She said with a smile. Emily didn't recognize her, but smiled politely and followed behind. Entering the house Emily's back automatically straightened, her posture perfect, she ran a nervous hand through her hair, and took a deep breath. JJ noticed all of these changes, she had seen them all before, every time Elizabeth or Michael were around. Not saying a word, the blonde slipped her hand into Emily's and gave her a small reassuring smile. JJ was on high alert. She was trying to gage Emily's emotions along with Rachel's while still trying to remain calm herself.

Emily took another deep breath and the three of them walked into the dining room. She noticed that Rachel had gone from very excited and talkative to very quiet and half hiding behind her. Emily squeezed her shoulder and plastered on a smile.

"Hello Emily, Jennifer, and this must be...Rachel?" Elizabeth greeted them stoically.

"Mother, Father." Emily said with a stiff nod. Michael Prentiss held his glass of scotch up in a greeting and glanced oddly at Rachel. The little girl gripped Emily's hand tighter and pressed her head into Emily's side. "Rachel, this is my mother and this is my father."

"Hi." Rachel whispered. She gripped Emily's hand but leaned away from her side and curtsied. "Its very nice to meet you ma'am, sir."

Elizabeth cracked a genuine smile. "She is certainly polite."

"Would anyone like a drink?" Michael asked as he stood up to get a refill.

"No thank you." Emily said politely.

"I'm fine thank you Michael." JJ said with a smile. The blonde ushered Rachel and Emily over to the couch. Rachel sat half on her lap, half on the couch and JJ ran her fingers through Rachel's curly hair in an attempt to keep her calm.

"So, Rachel, how old are you?" Elizabeth asked as she took a seat across from them.

"Seven." Rachel answered softly, not looking her directly in the eye.

"And Emily tells me you are in first grade correct?" She asked. Rachel nodded. "What is your favorite subject?"

"Umm...I like music class the best."

"No dear, I mean your actual studies."

"Music is an actual class Mother." Emily said giving Rachel a smile. "But I think she means math, history, science, english etc. which one of those is your favorite Rach?"

"I like history." Rachel said looking up at Elizabeth. "I like that its real stories. And I like english, I can almost read a whole chapter of Junie B. Jones by myself and I can write pretty good now too."

"Well." Elizabeth corrected. "The correct term is pretty well." Emily shot her mother a glare and Elizabeth made a face. "But that sounds wonderful, good job dear." She said with a smile. To Emily, it looked odd on he face, but she could tell her mother was actually trying and she was grateful. Emily shot a glance at her father and frowned as he took another sip of his drink, she hadn't expected much from him, but sober would have been nice.

"I like your house." Rachel offered after a moment of silence. "Its got a lot of old stuff in it."

"Yes it does." Elizabeth said with a nod. "Now, lets eat shall we?"

The group got up and headed into the formal dining room. Emily hated this room more than anything. When she was Rachel's age, she had thrown up there during one of her mother's dinner parties. Rachel seemed to be doing okay, she tucked her skirt under her legs and slipped into the chair. Looking over to Emily, she mimicked her and placed her napkin in her lap like the brunette. With a smile, Emily motioned for which fork to pick up. They ate dinner half in silence, half in small talk, everyone remaining civil. Rachel mostly stayed quiet, pushing the food around her plate while Elizabeth spoke about her most recent posting and old friends she had heard from. Emily didn't consider any of those people her friends, but she smiled and nodded and remembered her manners anyway. When Elizabeth brought up one of their cases, JJ was quick to change the subject.

"We don't really want to discuss work with Rachel in the room." She explained politely.

"Ah, well, I suppose that makes sense. You met her on one of your cases didn't you?"

"Yes. Mother, I told you that." Emily said stiffly, very much hoping her mother would drop the subject.

"Right, also in New York, you danced in clubs? Doesn't quite seem like the proper place for a young girl."

"Mother." Emily said warningly.

"What dear, am I not allowed to ask her questions about her life?" Elizabeth asked, feigning innocence. "So, what style of dance do you know Rachel?"

"Tap, ballet and jazz." Rachel whispered into her plate. "And I can break dance a little."

"Break dance?" Elizabeth scoffed. "What in heavens name is that?"

"I can show you!" Rachel said somewhat excitedly.

"Maybe some other time." JJ said quickly. She doubted the Ambassador would appreciate watching a seven year old doing the worm or trying to spin on her head.

"Okay." Rachel said disappointed.

"Do you enjoy ballet?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah I guess, but tap is my favorite."

"Humm...ballet teaches wonderful discipline, Emily took ballet."

"Really!" Rachel asked, grinning at Emily.

"I wasn't very good." Emily admitted. She had hated every minute of dance class. Russian ballet teachers were no joke. Emily has thrown up there as well. They finished their meal without any problems and retired back to the dining room. Emily noticed Rachel getting antsy and was itching to get home herself. "Mother, this has been lovely, but we need to be getting home now." She said as she rose from her seat.

"It was very nice to meet you ma'am." Rachel said walking up to Elizabeth and sticking her hand out. Emily smiled proudly as she watched Elizabeth's eyebrows raise in shock and shake Rachel's hand. Her daughter had passed the Ambassador's test.

"Likewise my dear." Elizabeth said, cracking a second genuine smile. Emily couldn't remember her acting this genuine ever. She even gave JJ a hug goodbye, something Emily was sure had never occurred before. "Hope to see the three of you soon." Elizabeth said kissing Emily on the cheek. "I think she is good for you two dear. I'm proud of you." Elizabeth whispered in her ear. Emily pulled back, shocked while Elizabeth beamed at her. "Despite having myself and your father as parents, you have turned into a wonderful woman."

"Thank you Mother." Emily said with a smile. She turned to leave and caught JJ's eye. From the look on her face, her wife had heard some of the conversation. The blonde beamed at her. Emily followed them out to the car, feeling content leaving her mother's house for the first time since she could remember.


	24. Chapter 24

**The next one probably won't be up until Thursday or later, hope you enjoy:)**

JJ looked across the table at her wife and unconsciously licked her lips. The candlelight in the dimly lit restaurant was flickering across her pale skin. As Emily sipped her wine, she caught JJ's eye and smirked. This had been a wonderful idea. The two women hadn't really been out on a date in a long time. Leaving Rachel for any length of time made them both feel extremely guilty, especially once it had been both of them. Now that Rachel was comfortable with them, trusted them and believed they would come back, the guilt was lessened and they figured a night out would be okay. Garcia had been busy with Kevin, and they always asked her to watch Rachel, so Morgan had been chosen as tonight's babysitter.

"_Morgan!" Rachel yelled as she caught sight of the dark man. _

"_Hey Freckles!" Morgan greeted her with a bright smile as Rachel launched herself into his arms. JJ watched happily as the two of them interacted. It was hard to believe that only a couple of months ago, Rachel had been terrified of her friend; now she seemed to find him more interesting than Emily and JJ combined. _

"_Rach, we're leaving." JJ said trying to catch the little girl's attention. _

"_Bye!" She yelled as she pulled Morgan into the living room. _

"_Rach!" JJ yelled after her. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?" _

"_I did!" _

_JJ threw her arms up in the air as Emily walked over to her, grinning. "We are no longer her favorite." The brunette said with a laugh as she helped JJ into her coat. Normally, JJ's eyes would be raking the very tight, very sexy, red dress Emily was wearing, but right now, she just wanted a hug from Rachel. _

"_Unbelievable." JJ muttered as Emily ushered her to the door. _

_Emily just laughed. "Rachel, come over here and hug us goodbye." She yelled. The brunette watched as Morgan gently shoved Rachel forward. The little girl ran to them with a smile, quickly hugged Emily then JJ and tried to run back to Morgan in all of four seconds. _

"_Wait!" JJ yelled, grabbing her hands. "Be good, do what Morgan says and when he says bedtime, it is bedtime." JJ cupped her face and smiled as Rachel grinned mischievously. "We love you." _

"_Have fun!" Rachel said, kissing JJ on the cheek and running back to tackle Morgan. _

"_Have a good time guys." Morgan said as he lifted Rachel over his head. She squealed and waved at them upside down. _

"_Bye." JJ said happily. She slipped her hand into Emily's and let her wife pull her outside. _

JJ smiled as Emily's foot grazed her leg under the table. She kicked her back lightly with a smirk as the waiter brought their food.

"Thank you." Emily said, giving a smile to the man. Everything looked amazing. JJ had gotten used to the fact that Emily had a lot of money a long time ago. She had insisted that they share their money and not splurge very often early on in their relationship. Emily was persistent however and every once in a while, JJ let her take her out and spend a ton of money. The blonde hadn't even looked at the prices on the menu, knowing it would make her cringe. This place was high class and wonderful. "I feel like we haven't done this in forever." Emily said as the two women began to dig in.

"Uhhh...me too." JJ said with a small moan. Her pasta was amazing. She smirked at her wife's reaction to her audible enjoyment. "So..." JJ said a moment later. "Hotch was thinking we could take the kids to an amusement park maybe next weekend if we don't have a case. Its supposed to warm up."

"Yeah, I think that sounds like a great idea." Emily agreed. She and JJ spent the rest of their date talking about anything but work if they could help it. They had made that rule back around their fourth date years ago. They slipped at times over the years, but did their best to leave work at work, or at least away from their dates. "So, the visit went really well I thought." Emily said after a few moments. She saw JJ visibly tense.

"Yeah." JJ said unconvincingly.

"Jen, it went well." Emily insisted. "Rachel seemed happy, and he said that everything looked fine. He basically said we can get full custody, we just have to meet with the judge."

"I know." JJ said with a sigh. "Its just...it just makes me nervous. I can't help it, I just want her to be officially ours. I mean, I feel like her mother, I feel like we're her parents and I hate the fact that its not technically true."

"It will be." Emily said fiercely. She reached across the table and took JJ's hand, smiling reassuringly at her wife. "Jen, it _will_ be." She repeated.

"I just hate that its not yet, I feel like...I know she cares about us, and she trusts us on some level now, all of us; but...but she still holds back. When she thinks we're not looking, I catch her flinching sometimes at our touch. And she still has nightmares, practically every night, she tries to hide them, and she still wets the bed." JJ had long since set down her fork and was frustrated, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I...I hate that she knows about horrible things and I hate that she gets scared and I hate that we missed seven years of her life, and I hate that she doesn't really think of us as her parents."

Emily gripped JJ's hand tighter and grimaced. They hadn't really talked about this much recently. Wanting to focus on the progress Rachel actually was making, but it was in the back of Emily's mind just as much as it was constantly in JJ's.

"Sweetie, a piece of paper and a judge saying she is officially our daughter won't make much of a difference." Emily said softly.

"It might though, to her, it might solidify this." JJ insisted. "If its seen as official, she might finally realize we mean it."

"I just...I don't want you to get your hopes up in case it doesn't change anything." Emily said with a frown.

"I know." JJ said quietly. "I know. I just...I would love to hear her call me mom. I know its stupid but..."

Emily cut her off. "Its not stupid. I want it more than anything too."

* * *

><p>Rachel watched the movie through her fingers in one hand, in her other, she clutched a broom, ready to strike. If the zombies came into their apartment, she was gonna whack their heads off. She heard a creak and froze, bringing her hand down from her face, she gripped the broom with both hands. Morgan was grinning next to her, but she ignored him, her eyes glued to the television.<p>

"She's so stupid!" Rachel yelled. "Why would she go in there? And why is she in her underwear? Its winter and its cold."

Morgan smirked. "For my enjoyment."

"What?" Rachel asked confused.

"Never mind Freckles, just watch he's totally gonna grab her from behind."

"I hate zombies." Rachel growled.

"Here he comes..." Morgan said in a sing song voice.

"Morgan!" Rachel yelled, scooting closer to him and gripping the broom. "He's coming! He's coming! He's gonna kill her!" Rachel stood up and screamed as the zombie attacked the young scantily clad blonde on the television screen. Very fake blood and brains went everywhere and Rachel fake whacked him with her broom.

"You're gonna take my head of with that thing kid, be careful." Morgan said while ducking. Damn. That girl had a swing on her. He made a mental note to take her to the batting cages once spring finally got here.

"I'm killing zombies!" Rachel insisted. "No one is eating my brains! I need 'em. They can have yours."

"What!" Morgan yelled, looking up at the fierce little girl. "You'd let zombies eat my brains?" He accused. "I thought we were friends." Morgan crossed his arms and fake pouted while Rachel crouched down and kissed the top of his bald head.

"We are." She said with a smile. "But you've lived longer, its only fair."

"You are one little smartass aren't you?"

"Ass! You said ass! I'm telling Emily and JJ!" Rachel cheered as she jumped up and down on the couch, the broom swinging wildly above her. Morgan ducked a swing that most definitely could have given him a concussion.

"Would you quit swinging that thing and sit your little butt down on this couch and be quiet." Morgan said as he reached out and grabbed her. "I'm already letting you stay up later than I should."

"That's because I need Emily and JJ to tuck me in. They won't be mad about that."

"Yeah not at you, maybe at me though." Morgan said with a frown. Rachel grinned at him, holding the broom up at the ready again.

"That's cause I'm their favorite person." She smirked and kissed his head again, then squealed as the zombies came back on the screen. Rachel was listening intently, the television mostly quiet as the next victim creeped around on screen. Rachel gripped the broom tighter, trying very hard not to show how scary the movie really was because then Morgan would turn it off. Rachel wanted to be brave enough to watch a grown up movie. Her hearing on high alert, she heard footsteps outside the apartment, and a lock turning in the door. Rachel froze and slunk herself into Morgan. "Morgan." She whispered. "The zombies are coming."

"I know, its not scary though, watch he bashes its head it, he wins." Morgan said back with a smile.

"No! Here, real zombies, outside! I hear them." Rachel whispered worriedly.

"Nah." Morgan reassured her.

Rachel heard the door open and screamed bloody murder. Jumping up on the couch and whacking the broom around everywhere. "MORGAN! THEY'RE HERE! ZOMBIES!" She screamed in terror. "GET YOUR GUN, I DON'T WANT TO DIE." She abandoned the broom throwing it on the floor and jumped on Morgan, reaching all around him to find his gun. "SHOOT THEM!" She screamed. "SHOOT THEM!"

"Hey woah, shoot us?" Emily said with a confused smile. "Morgan, what the hell?"

Rachel finally turned and realized that it was in fact Emily and JJ, she didn't see any signs that they were zombies, so her face broke into relief. The little girl abandoned her search for Morgan's gun and climbed over him, half falling over the top of the couch. She ran at Emily and JJ and launched herself into JJ's arms. "I thought you were zombies." She explained. "You have got to shoot any if they come for us." She said looking seriously at the blonde. "I'm too young to die."

JJ and Emily both burst out laughing. JJ shifted Rachel to her hip and glared at Morgan's guilty look. "How does she even know what zombies are Derek?" She asked.

Morgan sheepishly stood up from the couch. "Well, its a really old movie, crap effects, not scary at all. Right Freckles?" He said, giving Rachel a wink.

"No!" Rachel insisted loudly. "Not scary at all. I'm really brave." She said firmly looking from JJ to Emily. "Like you guys!"

"Ah, well, brave or not, it is way past your bedtime." Emily said, shooting her own slight glare at Morgan.

"Now, I told her that already." Morgan said quickly. "And I put her to bed, twice! _She_ got out."

JJ raised her eyebrows at the girl in her arms. Rachel sheepishly ducked her head into JJ's neck. "I wanted to wait for you guys to tuck me in." She whispered. JJ's heart melted a little and she hugged Rachel tighter, smiling at Emily. She felt Rachel twirl her hair and saw her yawn loudly.

"And, now it is definitely time for bed." She said with a grin. "Say goodnight to Morgan." She said, walking over to him. Rachel leaned over and hugged Morgan sleepily, then reached her arms out to Emily. The brunette kissed the girl on her cheek and whispered goodnight. Rachel tucked herself back into JJ with another yawn. "I'll be right back." The blonde said to Emily and Morgan before heading upstairs.

"You let my kid watch zombie movies?" Emily accused as Morgan handed her a beer.

"No." Morgan insisted as they sat back down on the couch. "_I_ was watching a zombie movie, _she _was supposed to be asleep and snuck down here. Sending her back up after she begged to wait up for you two would be evil. I can't say no to that face."

Emily laughed. "Yeah, its definitely not easy. I'm dreading her teenage years, she's already too smart."

Morgan chuckled. "Ahh...I think it will be funny."

"Yeah I think we'll send her over to your place when she drives us nuts." Emily said with a smirk.

Morgan scoffed. "Not cool Princess."

"If she has nightmares about zombies tonight, you will pay for this tomorrow." Emily said seriously as she took a swig of her beer.

"Nah, she's tough, she won't have any nightmares." Morgan said with a grin.

"She always has nightmares Derek." Emily said softly.

Morgan looked up at her, his face softening, his voice quieting. "Emily?" He prompted.

She turned to Morgan with a sigh. "Every night Morgan. She either wakes up screaming for Frankie to stop, or cries silently, seeing her mother on the bathroom floor, the other nightmares, she won't tell us about. She hides them if she can, but it happens every damn night."

"Shit." Morgan said, running a hand over his head. "I didn't know."

"It embarrasses her, we try not to talk about it much. We just calm her down if we hear her and leave it at that. Dr. Yang talks to her about them, but she doesn't want to talk about them to us."

"Goddamn." Morgan said with a groan. "Its bullshit the number her parents did on her."

"Very much so." JJ said as she clomped down the stairs. "I don't prefer to think of them as her parents though. They lost that right a long time ago." She had chucked her shoes and taken her hair down. Flinging it out, she reached over and took Emily's beer. She sipped in, then sat down on Emily's lap. "She's out cold." JJ announced as she handed the beer back to her wife.

"Did you guys have a nice time?" Morgan asked.

"Yes we did. Thanks Morgan." Emily said sincerely.

"Anytime." Morgan said with a grin. He stood up and grabbed his coat, digging around in his pocket for his keys. "Next time, we'll watch _Finding Nemo_ or something. I promise." He smiled and kissed the top of both their heads before heading out.

JJ yanked her zipper down and sighed, happy to be somewhat more comfortable. Emily smirked at her. JJ stood up and slipped out of her dress, leaving in on the floor. Emily watched in awe as JJ continued walking and unclasped her bra, dropping it on the floor as well. The blonde turned back around to her wife and smirked. "You coming?" She asked seductively.

"Most definitely." Emily said eagerly as she hurried up off the couch. She fumbled with her own dress and quickly followed her wife up to their bedroom happily.

* * *

><p><em>He was holding her down. She couldn't breathe, the water was in her nose and she was choking. She <em>_cried and begged for him to stop. Her tiny arms pushed against him, but he was too strong. His eyes were dead, his brains were falling out. He was gonna cook her and then eat her. Her head broke the surface of the water and she screamed, gurgling and spitting. _

"_Emily! JJ! Help me!" _

_He shoved her back into the scalding hot water. It burned every pore of her skin, she felt like she was on fire. She just wanted him to kill her this time. She just wanted it to stop. It hurt too much. Rachel stopped fighting. No one was coming. No one cared. _

"Rachel!"

_She heard a voice. It sounded familiar, but she was too tired, everything hurt too much, Frankie was too strong. _

"Rachel!"

_Why wouldn't they just be quiet? Why wouldn't Frankie just hurry up? Why did it have to hurt so much? _

"Rachel! Wake up sweetie."

_Momma? Rachel kicked Frankie, hard. She didn't want to die. _

"Rach, honey wake up, we've got you."

_Mommy? Rachel kicked again and screamed. He was so strong, and the water was so cold. No. It was hot. Why wasn't it hot anymore? She was freezing. _

"Rach, wake up, its just a dream. We've got you, its Emily and JJ. You're okay."

She was cold. Frankie wasn't there, the arms holding her weren't pushing her down, they were trying to hug her. Rachel opened her eyes slowly. She was in her room, her blankets kicked onto the floor, covered in sweat and urine, Emily and JJ hovering above her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Sweetie, its okay." Emily insisted. "Come here, we'll get you some new pjs." Emily held out her arms and Rachel somewhat reluctantly climbed into them. JJ stripped the bed while Emily dug around her dresser, finding a new nightgown. "Do you want to jump in the shower?" Emily asked. Rachel nodded and walked away from both women, turning the shower on by herself. She had woken up in the night after wetting the bed by herself before. She never wanted to wake Emily and JJ up in case it bothered or annoyed them. She knew how to jump in the shower and clean herself up quickly and without waking anyone else up. She stripped out of her nightgown and underwear and dropped them into the hamper. She climbed into the shower and rinsed off quickly, trying not to get her hair wet before shutting off the water and stepping out. She was shivering and quickly wrapped a towel around herself.

Rachel walked out of the bathroom and back down the hall to her bedroom. Her bed was bare. She was confused, usually, if Emily and JJ woke up, one of them would make her bed. "Hey, sweetie, I've got your nightgown." JJ said. She bent down and began rubbing Rachel dry with the towel. As JJ held her underwear out, Rachel held onto her shoulders and stepped into them; then held her arms up while JJ pulled her nightgown over her head. "I put some baking soda on the mattress, but its still wet, come climb in with us?"

"Okay." Rachel mumbled. She was embarrassed. She hated that she wet the bed. She hated that Emily and JJ always had to wake up and take care of her. Why couldn't she just sleep like a normal kid?

"Hey." JJ said softly, reaching down and picking Rachel up. "Hey, look at me." She whispered. Reluctantly, Rachel raised her gaze to meet JJ's. "You know this isn't a big deal right? Its nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone gets nightmares, and lots of kids wet the bed."

"But I do all the time." Rachel moaned.

"Eventually you won't." JJ said simply. She began carrying Rachel down the hall and to her bedroom. Emily smiled at the sight of them. JJ set Rachel down on top of the bed and she instantly crawled over and snuggled into Emily. JJ shut the light off and slipped in next to her, kissing her cheek. "We love you." She whispered. Rachel wanted to say it back, but something stopped her. Instead, she leaned away from Emily and kissed JJ's cheek before snuggling back into Emily.


	25. Chapter 25

Emily woke up as something hard slammed into her chest. "Ummgh." She muttered sharply. Opening her eyes, she caught sight of brown curly hair and felt a smile creep onto her face. Emily tried to stay still but was a little uncomfortable. Rachel had practically climbed all the way on top of Emily and was whimpering. Emily recognized one of her nightmares when she saw one. The profiler gently pulled her arm out from under JJ and brushed Rachel's hair out of her face slowly. "Hey Monkey...Rach...? Sweetie, come on wake up. You're okay. Rach, honey, wake up, I got you." Emily murmured softly until Rachel finally stopped whimpering and opened her eyes. Emily grinned down at the face looking up at her. "Good morning." She said happily. She whipped the few tears that had fallen onto Rachel's face off and kissed her nose. "Do you want to tell me about it?" She asked. Rachel shook her head and buried her face into Emily's chest, clutching her shirt and refusing to talk to her. "Okay, that's fine, but if you do let me know okay?" Rachel nodded and hugged Emily tighter without looking up.

The two of them stayed where they were, snuggling while JJ slept next to them. After a few moments, Emily thought Rachel might have fallen back asleep, but she spoke up. "Mly?" She whispered sleepily. The brunette woman smiled.

"Yes?"

"Was the social worker man telling the truth?" She asked in a tiny voice.

"About us adopting you?" Emily asked. Rachel nodded but quickly hid her face again, unable to look at Emily while she answered. "Yes. We've told you since you moved in that's what we want, if you want it too, it will be official next week."

"How does it work?" Rachel asked, looking up at Emily.

The profiler smiled, running her fingers through Rachel's hair while she talked. "Well, basically when parents have children they have legal rights as well as biological. Do you remember what biological means?"

"Like we share DNA?"

"Right." Emily said. Rachel lit up at getting something correct. "So, your biological parents were Clara and Frankie, but in some cases where the biological parents can't take care of their children, adoptive parents can." Emily glanced down to make sure that Rachel was actually understanding everything. They had explained it before, but Rachel seemed to be fully paying attention now. "Right now, we're your foster parents, which means we have a little bit of custody of you, but its not permanent." Emily watched Rachel's face fall and for a moment, a look of sheer panic came across it. She quickly wrapped her arms around the little girl tighter and pressed on. "But the adoption makes it permanent. The three of us go to court, and JJ and I sign some papers, and the judge signs some papers and then you are officially our daughter."

"Like for real? Like...you'd both be my moms?"

"Yep." Emily said with a bright smile. "Would you like that?"

"Yeah." Rachel whispered, a tiny smile appearing across her face. Emily bent down and kissed her nose again. Rachel giggled and tried to tickle Emily's stomach, while trying to remain quiet enough not to wake up JJ. Rachel sat up a bit as Emily squirmed under her and tickled furiously. The little girl paused as she accidentally pulled the side of Emily's shirt down. "What's that?" She asked, pointing to the clover burn just above Emily's breast. "Is it a tattoo! Can I get one!" She asked excitedly.

Emily frowned and sat up, leaning against the backboard. She pulled Rachel with her so the little girl was sitting on her lap. "No." She said quietly. "Its not a tattoo." Emily and JJ hadn't really told Rachel anything about Doyle, not wanting to scare her and not thinking it was necessary. They did mention that Emily had had to go away in hiding for a bit in case she somehow heard about Emily's 'death'. "Do you remember what JJ and I told you about? How I had to go away for a few months before you lived with us?"

"You played dead, like dead fish but for longer." Rachel answered nodding.

"Right, sort of. Well, the reason I had to go away was because a bad man was trying to hurt me."

"Why?" Rachel asked angrily. Emily almost grinned at how much her expression mirrored JJ's when she was protective and angry.

"Its a little complicated, I can explain it better when you're older; but I helped put him into jail for some of the bad things he had done, and when he got out, he was angry at me. He was threatening to hurt the team, and JJ, and so I ran away to try and protect them, but he found me. He...well, he hurt me trying to make me tell him where his son was."

"His son?" Rachel asked.

Emily nodded. "He had a son named Declan who I cared about very much and wanted to protect, so I made sure that he was hidden far, far away from his father so Ian couldn't turn his son into him. Since I wouldn't tell Ian where Declan was, he hurt me."

Emily watched Rachel and hid a tiny smirk as a hint of jealously creeped onto her face. She traced the scar with her finger gently, looking up at Emily, unsure. The brunette just sat still, willing herself not to cry, knowing it would frighten Rachel. Emily knew she hadn't fully dealt with everything that had happened last year. She still woke up in a cold sweat some nights. She saw Doyle's face while she slept, she felt pissed off and branded when she saw her scars. She had lied to her shrink about a lot of things, which Hotch had called her out on. Rachel looked up and stared at Emily, without a word she leaned down and kissed her scar. Emily almost burst out crying right then and there. It was such a simple, childlike, innocent fix, but it meant more to her than anything her shrinks or friends had to offer. Rachel rested her chin on Emily's collarbone and smiled. "Feel better?" She asked. Emily nodded, unable to put into words how much that simple gesture really did make her feel better. She pulled Rachel tighter to her and hugged her close.

That's how they were when JJ woke up and rolled over onto her side. A smile slipped across the blonde's face at the sight of her two favorite people. "Well hello." She said as she stretched out sleepily.

Rachel rolled herself off of Emily and on top of JJ, hovering her face not inches above JJ's. "Guess what?" She asked excitedly. "In a week I'll have two moms."

"Really? Who?" JJ asked, feigning ignorance.

Rachel looked stricken at Emily and lifted herself off JJ slightly. "You!" She squealed. "You and Emily! Right?" She asked the brunette, horrified that she might have been wrong.

JJ grinned and pulled Rachel into her, nuzzling her face and laughing as Rachel tried to squirm away. "Of course us silly! I was joking."

"That was not a funny joke JJ." Rachel said with a frown.

"I'm sorry." JJ said sincerely.

"Its okay, if we make pancakes I'll forgive you." Rachel smiled. Emily snorted and hauled Rachel up off of JJ. "Hey!" Rachel protested. "Put me back! I was comfortable! JJ makes a good pillow."

"Well, its time to wake up, she can be your pillow later." Emily smirked and threw Rachel over her shoulder. The little girl was upside down and giggling while Emily winked at her wife. "Meet you downstairs Jayje." She called from out in the hall.

"We'll start breakfast!" Rachel yelled. "And we won't burn anything!"

"I don't believe that for a second." JJ muttered under her breath as she lugged herself out of the warm comfortable bed and into the bathroom.

Emily plopped Rachel down on the counter and began digging around the pots and pans loudly. Rachel watched her quietly, a solemn expression on her face. "I've got scars too." She whispered as Emily produced a pan and began spraying it. The brunette turned and stared at Rachel in shock. The little girl never talked to them about Frankie, or Clara, only ever opening up to Dr. Yang. Emily started to say something, but from the look on Rachel's face, thought better of it and just waited. "My dad cut me a couple of times on my stomach when I got a dance move wrong. Sometimes on my legs too, but their all little."

Emily clenched her fists and tried to remind herself that this man was locked up for life and probably getting the shit beat out of him in jail, but it was difficult not to visibly show her anger.

"And, I've got one under my chin see?" Rachel lifted her head and motioned for Emily to come closer. There was a tiny scar across the bottom of her chin. "That wasn't Frankie's fault." Rachel explained. Emily took note that this was the first time she had called the man by his first name, rather than say 'my dad'. She was finally beginning to distance herself from him. "When I was three, I still lived with my mom, and she wasn't as sad then, and one day she was really happy and she said she'd play with me." Rachel's face lit up at the fond memory and Emily couldn't help feeling jealous. She knew it was irrational, and it was a good thing for Rachel to have a good memory of her mother. The brunette in no way wanted the little girl to be haunted by everything in her early childhood; but in the back of her mind, she wanted Rachel to only think of herself and JJ as her mothers. "We were playing tag and she was it, it was hide and seek tag – that's the best kind – and I was trying to get to safe. I slipped and banged my chin on the floor." Rachel went on, her face no longer excited. Emily glanced up and saw JJ trotting silently downstairs, listening to every word. "She took me to the hospital and a guy tried to stick me with a needle like when you guys took me to the doctors. They wanted to sew me up!" Rachel yelled, as if it were the most barbaric thing she had ever heard off. "My mom yelled at him for a long time and then took me home. They put glue on my chin instead. Cool huh?"

"Very." JJ said ruffling Rachel's hair as she walked past her. Emily saw the tight lip and the jealously at Rachel talking about her mother. The blonde pulled her wife into a small good morning kiss; which was more of a distraction to move her away from the stove than to actually kiss her hello. Emily frowned as JJ pulled away and slid herself into her place, getting to work at cooking breakfast. "Sit." She ordered.

"Not cool." Emily said with a pout. "I'll never learn if you don't let me try it."

"You'll poison me first!" Rachel yelled. Emily and JJ turned and watched – thoroughly amused – as Rachel clutched her throat and exaggerated choking to death while falling off of the counter. Thankfully, Emily had quick reflexes as Rachel really just dropped.

"Rach!" Emily yelled as she caught her. "What if I hadn't caught you?"

Rachel looked up at Emily, then JJ, thoroughly confused at their reaction. She simply shrugged. "I knew you would." And walked over to play while she waited for breakfast.

* * *

><p>"So Rachel, how are we feeling today?" Dr. Yang asked as Rachel made herself comfortable in the chair.<p>

"_We_ think shrinks are stupid." Rachel said with a polite smile. "Emily doesn't see her shrink anymore, how come I still have to talk to you?"

"Well, we're friends aren't we?"

"No, you're a grown up. Grown ups can't be friends with kids."

"And why not?"

"Cause...I dunno. I just don't want to keep talking all the time." Rachel said with a groan.

"Well good, because I don't want to talk today either. I want you to draw me a picture."

"Really?" Rachel asked excitedly. She scooted her chair closer to Dr. Yang's desk as she produced paper and crayons.

"Yes. I'm going to tell you a word, and I want you to draw what it means to you." Dr. Yang explained.

"What's the word?" Rachel asked as she began digging through the crayons.

"Family."

"Family?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Yes. Family." Dr. Yang sat back and looked down at her notes, effectively ignoring Rachel and giving her time to draw. Rachel hesitated a few moments, contemplating what she wanted to draw before picking up a crayon and beginning. Dr. Yang smiled as she saw Rachel scribbling out of the corner of her eye. They sat in silence for about half an hour, Dr. Yang going over her files and Rachel coloring. When she was done, Rachel lifted the paper up in triumph, shoving it in front of Dr. Yang. "All finished?" She asked. Rachel nodded and began putting the crayons back in their box while Dr. Yang looked at the drawing. "So, who is who?" She asked. "And why are they in the photo?"

Rachel leaned forward and pointed to the small figure in the middle with dark brown squiggles of hair. "That's me." She said happily. "See, my freckles are on my nose! Over here is Emily." Rachel pointed to the tall drawing beside her. Her 'Emily' figure had jet black hair drawn on, and her stick hand holding Rachel's with her other arm around a blonde stick figure. "This is JJ." Rachel explained. The blonde stick figure had a huge red smile on her face and was holding hands with Rachel. "And this is Jack and Mr. Hotch, next to them is Garcia, Morgan and Spence. That guy behind them is Mr. Dave." Her drawing of the BAU team was adorable. Garcia was drawn with all her accessories, bracelets, bright colored glasses, and she was grinning at Morgan. Rachel drew Morgan's muscles very noticeably, with Hotch and Jack both wearing big smiles on their faces. "Mr. Hotch doesn't always smile like that, but to me and Jack he does." She said happily. Rachel had drawn Reid with his longer hair, his purple scarf and mismatched socks. Rachel had recently started wearing two different socks everyday. "Over on the other side is Mary and Andrew, those are JJ's parents and these people are Emily's; their names are Elizabeth and Michael. I told you I met them a while ago."

Dr. Yang noticed that Rachel seemed to want to say something else and set the drawing down on her table. "Rachel?" She asked.

"I...well up there I left some extra space...because I...well I wasn't sure if I should add my mom and dad." Rachel bit her lip and fiddled with the edge of her skirt. Dr. Yang sighed and waited in case Rachel wanted to say anything else. When it didn't look like she would, Dr. Yang spoke up.

"Well, it's your drawing, you can put whatever you want in it." She insisted.

"Well...you said family right?"

"Yes."

"And, they're my parents. We share DNA, that means their my family right? So I _have_ to put them in the picture right? Its a rule."

"No, its not a rule." Dr. Yang said simply. "Yes, you're right, you do share DNA with them and they _are_ your biological parents, but that doesn't necessarily make them your family."

"Why not?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Well, family doesn't always mean people you share blood with; family means the people in your life who take care of you, who love you and who are there for you when you need them. If you consider your mother and your father as part of that, then go ahead and draw them in, but if you don't want to, you don't have to."

Rachel sat in the large chair, fiddling with the edge of her skirt and not looking up at Dr. Yang. "Well...my mom, she took care of me sometimes. But, she was too tired and sad to do it all the time."

"What do you think about that?"

"I'm mad at her." Rachel said shamefully.

"Why?"

"Because it wasn't fair!" Rachel yelled. "I was little and I couldn't take care of myself. She was the grown up! It was her job! I could have made her not sad, why didn't she love me?"

Dr. Yang set down her pen, leaning forward, happy to see that Rachel was finally showing emotion and talking about her past. "What makes you think she didn't love you?" She asked.

"I don't remember her saying it. Emily and JJ tell me they love me all the time, and they hug me, and they like having me around. My mom never really hugged me, she always wanted me to leave her alone." Rachel began to tear up and slunk back down in her chair, the anger being replaced by hurt. "She isn't my mom anymore, she's just Clara. I don't want to call her my mom."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Dr. Yang said softly.

"I don't want to call Frankie my dad either."

"That's fine."

"But...but then...do you think, do you think its okay if I want to..." Rachel trailed off.

"Want to what Sweetie?" Dr. Yang prompted.

"Nothing, never mind."

"You can ask me anything you want Rachel, remember, it stays between us." Dr. Yang reminded her. Rachel looked up and held Dr. Yang's gaze for a moment.

"If I don't have to call Clara and Frankie Mom and Dad, does that mean I can call whoever I want my parents?"

"Yep." Dr. Yang said simply.

"Okay." Rachel smiled to herself. "Are we gonna talk more today, or can I have a cookie?"

Dr. Yang gave a light laugh. "We're done for the day, why don't you head outside and get a cookie from Susan and send Emily and JJ in please. I want to talk to them for a minute."

"Okay! Bye!" Rachel yelled as she jumped up happily. Since she tried chocolate chip cookies the first time she met Emily and JJ, she realized they were most definitely her favorite food. "Susan!" She yelled to the receptionist the second she opened the door. "I get cookies!" Rachel skipped over to the front desk, not even looking at Emily and JJ. "She wants to talk to you." She yelled over to them. Rachel placed her hands on top of the counter and tried to hop herself up on top. While Emily and JJ walked into the office, JJ lifted Rachel up as she walked past before she fell over and hurt herself.

"Two." She said firmly. "No more." JJ looked up to Susan who nodded and swatted Rachel's hand away as she tried to go for a third. "I saw that!" JJ called.

"No way! You were turned around!" Rachel yelled back in awe.

"Eyes in the back of my head babe. No more, behave." JJ said pointing her finger at Rachel. The little girl smiled and stuffed a cookie into her mouth. JJ just shook her head and followed Emily into the office.

"Thank you for coming in ladies, this won't take long. I just wanted to say that I think Rachel is doing really well and I am giving my full support to the judge regarding your adoption." Dr. Yang said with a smile. Emily and JJ's faces lit up.

"Really?" Emily asked softly.

Dr. Yang grinned and passed over the drawing Rachel had done in their session. "Really. I asked her today to draw her family. This is the result. She's in the middle, the two of you around her, your team and your parents." Dr. Yang watched as the two women studied the drawing. The emotion on their faces was apparent and she couldn't help but smile along with them. "She left a blank space here, in case I told her she had to draw Frankie and Clara. She told me that she doesn't want to call them her parents anymore, so she didn't add them."

"Really?" JJ asked. "That...is that a good thing?"

" I think so, but we'll see. She seemed content, happy even, like a weight had been lifted. She thought they _had_ to be her parents, she seems happy that they don't."

Emily and JJ took the drawing with them as they headed back out to the waiting room to collect Rachel. "I got two more cookies." She admitted the second they walked out the door. The smile fell from JJ's face and she frowned at Rachel. "They're for you!" Rachel said immediately, holding them out with a smile. "If you want to share, that's up to you." She said mischievously.

JJ shared a look with Emily. "Where the heck do you get this stuff?" JJ asked as she went over to Rachel. JJ held her coat out for her and laughed as Rachel stuffed the cookie into the blonde's mouth. "Arms." JJ said with her mouth full. Rachel complied and handed Emily the second cookie before letting JJ put the coat on her.

"Is that my picture?" Rachel asked, noticing the paper in Emily's hand.

"Yeah, Dr. Yang gave it to us, if that's okay?" Emily asked.

"It's fine." Rachel said with a smile. "Can I have a piggyback ride?"

Emily glanced at JJ and handed over the picture. "Sure kiddo, hop on." She said with a laugh. Rachel stood up and lunged forward, jumping onto Emily's back.

"Rach!" JJ chastised. "Careful."

"Sorry." Rachel said with a laugh. "Let's race JJ!" She whispered into Emily's ear.

"Oh, no way!" JJ yelled. Before Emily could say anything, the blonde took off across the parking lot. "Come on Em!" She yelled taunting them. Emily grinned as Rachel squealed with laughter and took off after her wife.


	26. Chapter 26

**I don't think I can properly convey how much your comments mean to me. Seriously, I love and appreciate all of you:) I have never been to a courtroom, I don't really know how an adoption like this would work, so if it doesn't seem realistic, I apologize. **

Rachel kicked her legs back and forth impatiently as JJ braided her hair. "Are you almost done?" She asked with a groan.

"Rach, sit still and I will be." JJ said for the second time as Rachel twisted her head around.

"I can't." Rachel insisted.

"Yes you can."

"I'm too excited."

"Well, that's great, but you still need to sit still." JJ said with a smile.

"How many kids will there be?" Rachel asked as she sat as still as she could possibly manage.

"Umm...I'm not sure, I think about twelve?"

"And I'm the youngest?"

"I think so, when you danced for the teacher she said you could be in the upper levels. So you'll be with older kids, most of them are around twelve or thirteen I think. You need to pay attention and do what your teacher says."

"Mo..JJ, I know how to have a dance lesson." Rachel said, quickly. JJ saw her face redding and as much as she wanted to bring attention to the first syllable Rachel had uttered, she didn't. "I've danced a million times before JJ." She added, speaking rushed and looking down at her hands, annoyed that JJ didn't already know that. The blonde sighed and continued braiding Rachel's hair, remembering what Dr. Yang had told them; when – if – Rachel did call them Mom, it would go over much better if they didn't make a big deal out of it. That way, it would feel more natural to her.

"I know, but dance class with a bunch of other kids is going to be different than just you and Frankie." JJ reminded her.

"Okay." Rachel mumbled.

"Alright! Two french braids, turn and let me see." JJ announced. Rachel turned around, an excited, hopeful smile on her face. "Beautiful." JJ said, pressing her nose against Rachel's. She giggled and wrapped her arms around JJ's neck. The blonde lifted her off the counter and carried her over to the door. Rachel sat down and began putting on her shoes while JJ rummaged around for her keys. Emily walked down the stairs.

"All set?" She asked.

"Yup, come on Rach." JJ said as she ushered the little girl out to the car. Immediately, she slipped her hand into her wife's. "She did it again." JJ whispered as they reached the car.

"Really?" Emily whispered back. Rachel had made the same tiny slip up with Emily two days before. It had shocked and excited both of them, causing them to yearn to hear the full word even more than they had before. JJ nodded with a tiny grin. "This is driving me nuts." Emily said, kissing her wife before climbing into the passenger seat.

"What's nuts?" Rachel asked from the backseat. "After dance can we go see Spence?"

"You're nuts." Emily said, reaching around behind her and tickling Rachel's leg. "And yes, we can pop in on Reid."

"He recorded _Doctor Who!_" Rachel yelled happily.

"_We_ recorded _Doctor Who_." JJ said with a sigh. Emily had brainwashed their child. She was a full on geek just like the brunette and Reid; JJ couldn't have loved it more if she tried, but she would never let them know that.

"Yeah I know, but I like watching it with Spence." Rachel said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire world.

"Not with us?" Emily asked, pretending to be offended.

"I like it better with Spence." Rachel admitted quietly. "But I like it with you too!" She insisted loudly.

"Why thank you, I feel so loved." JJ muttered with a grin. "We're here." She announced. They pulled into the dance studio parking lot and headed inside. JJ noticed Rachel immediately grow shy and stick close to her as they walked into the main studio. She placed her hand on Rachel's shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. A group of girls all around ten-thirteen were in a corner warming up. Rachel looked up at JJ nervously. The blonde bent down to her. "You can dance circles around these girls baby, don't be nervous. It'll be fun." She whispered, making it look like she was just taking her coat. Rachel gave her a small smile and seemed to be somewhat reassured. The dance teacher, Miss Cindy waved her over while the other girls looked on warily. Rachel glanced back up at Emily and JJ once more, a new look of determination on her face. JJ watched proudly as she stood up straight, pulled on her jazz shoes and gracefully walked over to the group. God, Rachel was so tiny. She looked more like a five year old then a seven year old, especially when next to the older girls. "She looks so small." JJ said to Emily as they walked out.

"I know, but she's tough, she'll be fine." Emily said, wrapping her arm around JJ's shoulders. "Want to go grab a coffee until her class is over?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

The two of them decided to walk to the cafe a couple of blocks from the dance studio. Hand in hand, they hurried through the still cold air.

"I'll order, want to grab a table?" Emily asked.

"Okay." JJ headed over to a table by the window and picked at a straw wrapper. Emily slid in across from her and passed over her coffee. "Thanks." She said with a smile. She lifted it up to her mouth but only smelled it, knowing she would burn her tongue. "Tomorrow is the day Em." She said, tapping the top of her mug nervously.

"I know. I'm freaking out a little." Emily admitted adorably. JJ smirked.

"Me too. But I'm also really excited."

"And we've got everything all set for the party?" Emily asked. "Hotch and Jack are all set, so are Morgan and Rossi."

JJ nodded and dared a sip of her coffee, perfection. "And I've got Garcia on board and Reid." Garcia had gone a little nuts with the party planning, JJ had to wrangle her in a bit. They had decided to hold a party for Rachel after the court hearing. Garcia was insisting that it was a party for Emily and JJ as well, and had kicked them out of most of the planning, much to JJ's annoyance. Leaving Garcia alone to plan a party was never a safe thing, especially if there would be children involved. Garcia was not exactly always appropriate.

"So, how exactly is this going to work tomorrow, we just go in and sign a few papers?" Emily asked.

"Yeah basically. The social worker said the judge will talk to us, probably to Rachel alone and then we sign some stuff and she is officially our daughter." JJ smiled. She really loved saying that.

* * *

><p>Rachel stood in the corner, waiting for her turn to do her leaps across the floor. There were ten girls in this class, all of them older than Rachel. Taylor was definitely the star. She was eleven and didn't seem to like Rachel one little bit. In the first couple of minutes she made it well known that she considered Rachel a baby and not good enough for their class.<p>

"Taylor's mean, just ignore her." A girl named Kaley whispered from behind her. Kaley had been the youngest at nine until Rachel came along. She seemed to take pity on her. Rachel gave Kaley a small smile and watched as Hannah went across the floor, her leaps almost perfect. She turned and smirked at Rachel as she finished, walking next to Taylor and giggling. Hannah was twelve, but clearly followed whatever Taylor did.

Rachel moved forward, ignoring their looks while another girl, Whitney took her turn. Once she had finished, Rachel took a deep breath and smiled. Frankie was mean, and abusive, but one thing Rachel knew, was that he had turned her into a fantastic dancer. She could do this, and she could do it well. Rachel angled her body properly and began her leaps, one after another, she finished and made her way to the end of the line, hiding a tiny smile at the looks of shock her fellow classmates were giving her.

"Wonderful Rachel!" Miss Cindy yelled out. "Alright ladies, lets do a combination."

Rachel loved the class. Miss Cindy was fun, and made her feel good about herself, it was nothing like practicing with Frankie. If Rachel made a mistake, someone just corrected her and that was that. She did catch herself flinching the first time Miss Cindy came over to correct her foot position, but quickly got control of herself. By the end of the class, Rachel knew that combination cold, much to the annoyance of Taylor and Hannah. Miss Cindy told them to get into place to run the combination one last time. Many of the parents had trickled into the studio, watching the last run through of the dance. Rachel lit up at the sight of Emily and JJ waving to her. She bent down, getting into her starting position. Frankie always told her to sell it. No matter what was going on in the audience, Rachel danced, and she danced well. The music started and Rachel began to count. 5, 6, 7, 8. She gracefully lifted herself up and began to dance with the music. The steps came easily, she barely even noticed the other people in the room.

When they finished Rachel happily slipped into her ending pose, right in front of JJ and Emily. She looked up at them and smiled at the proud looks on their faces. "Alright ladies! That's it for today, I will see you all next week." Miss Cindy said happily. "And Rachel, great class." She added, smiling to the little girl. Grinning, Rachel said thank you and ran over to Emily and JJ.

"Hi!" She said a little out of breath.

"Baby, you were amazing!" JJ said proudly.

"Really?" Rachel asked, looking back and forth between them both.

"Really." Emily insisted. "Here put your coat on, its cold out." She held the coat out to Rachel who slid her arms in. "It might snow tomorrow." Emily whispered.

"Really? Can we go sledding?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"I don't know, it there is enough snow maybe, but we have important stuff to do tomorrow remember?" The brunette asked.

"Court." Rachel said with a nod. "I remember."

"And, Garcia has planned a party for us afterwords." JJ said taking Rachel's hand and swinging it back and forth. Rachel's face lit up.

"With cake?"

JJ chuckled and glanced over at Emily. "Probably."

"Yes!" Rachel cheered. "And Jack will be there?" She asked.

"Yep. Jack, Hotch, Garcia, Morgan, Reid, Rossi, Mary, Andrew and my parents." Emily said holding the door open for Rachel. She climbed in and buckled her car seat, swinging her legs back and forth in excitement.

"Do we get presents?" Rachel asked. JJ started the car and shot a look to Emily, who only shook her head.

"I don't know Rach, its more of a celebration than a presents type thing." Emily said. Rachel groaned exaggeratedly causing JJ and Emily to laugh.

* * *

><p>Rachel bit her lip and shuffled her feet back and forth nervously while she looked in the mirror again. Her tights were bunching and she tried to smooth them out better. She lifted her green velvet dress and tucked it under her chin, trying to yank up her white tights.<p>

"Rach?" JJ asked as she walked into the doorway. The blonde was dressed up as well, a deep red dress that was professional, comfortable and downright sexy. "Want some help instead of flashing everyone?" She asked with a light laugh as she crossed her arms.

Rachel turned around in a huff and dropped her dress. "No one else is in here!" She insisted. "And I can dress myself." She lifted her dress back up determinedly and tried again, unsuccessfully. Ignoring the smile that creeped onto JJ's face, she tried a third time before finally groaning in frustration and flopping down on the bed. "I hate these tights." She announced, pulling her dress over her face.

JJ smiled and walked over. "Sit still." She said with a laugh and fixed Rachel's tights while she lay on the bed, refusing to look at the blonde. "Feel better?" She asked. Rachel didn't move. "Rach?" JJ asked again. She sighed and pulled Rachel's dress back down, bending over and staring down at Rachel. "Better Monkey?" Rachel nodded. "Can I fix your hair?"

"Fine." Rachel grumbled. She crawled up into a sitting position in front of JJ.

"What would you like?" JJ asked. "Braids? Half up? Headband?"

"Half up, half down please." She said. JJ began brushing Rachel's hair while the little girl played with the end of her dress. Emily walked in, looking stunning in a dark blue dress of her own. Rachel grinned. "You look really pretty Mo...Emily." She said, correcting herself again. Emily beamed and shared a glance with JJ at the slip up.

"What? And I don't?" She asked. Finishing Rachel's hair and pretending to be offended. Rachel turned around and wrapped her arms around JJ's neck, hugging her tightly.

"You look beautiful!" She said with a smile. "What kind of cake will we have?" She asked as she pulled away.

"Is that what you care about?" Emily asked with a laugh as the two of them got up off the bed. "The cake?"

Rachel nodded. "Mostly." The little girl skipped down the hall and hurried downstairs. JJ slipped her arm around Emily's waist and kissed her pouting wife.

"You do look very pretty. And she doesn't only care about the cake. She's nervous." She whispered. Emily smiled and kissed JJ back.

"Let's go." The brunette said, handing JJ her sweater and pulling her downstairs.

Rachel was silent throughout the entire drive to the courtroom. Emily and JJ tried to talk as if this was a normal outing, but nothing they said seemed to calm her or still her nerves. Rachel ran up the steps ahead of them, jumping up, then down, trying to mimic the dance in _The Sound of Music_. There still wasn't any snow, but it was wet and JJ saw how easily Rachel could trip. "Rach! Careful please." She called up to her. Rachel jumped again, not quite paying attention. "Rachel!" JJ yelled again. She practically saw it right before it happened, Rachel jumped down, then twirled quickly about to jump up and slipped. With the quick reflexes of an FBI agent, JJ reached out and caught her right before she fell, Emily right behind her. "Rachel." She said with a sigh as she pulled her close.

"I'm sorry." Rachel said as she began to cry a little. She wasn't hurt, just shocked, crying the way children do because they were almost hurt.

"I got you, you're fine." JJ murmured. Rachel held her arms up, tears in her eyes and JJ sighed but picked her up. Emily placed her hand on the small of JJ's back and led them into the lobby. Rachel made herself comfortable in JJ's arms while they looked for her social worker. He caught their attention and waved them over. Dr. Yang was there as well and greeted them with a smile.

"They're just finishing up and then we can go in." He explained. "How are you today Rachel? You excited?"

"I get a cake later." She said happily, already forgetting almost hurting herself.

"A cake! Awesome, what kind?"

"I don't know!" Rachel exclaimed, kicking her legs back and forth, making it difficult for JJ to keep a hold of her. "I just like cake."

"Me too." He said giving her a smile. A guard caught their attention and ushered them inside. JJ set Rachel down and took her hand, walking into the courtroom. They took the seats assigned to them and sat down, seeing Ambassador Prentiss already inside. She smiled at them and waved to Rachel. The little girl lit up and ran over to hug her, much to her surprise. Emily grinned at the sight, Rachel had improved her relationship with her mother immensely. Elizabeth called at least once a week now to see how she was, asking about Rachel, JJ and her work. There was still some tension, it was hard to erase almost forty years of it, but it was certainly the most civil they had ever been.

Rachel ran back over to sit down as the judge glanced at them. He smiled as she climbed over Emily, giving the entire courtroom a view of the backside of her tights to sit in between the both of them. Emily just shook her head and pulled Rachel's dress down. "Hello everyone." He said, looking to the mostly empty room. They sat quietly as the judge spoke with Dr. Yang and Rachel's social worker. He had already reviewed the case, and only asked a few questions of Emily and JJ before turning to Rachel. "Hello Rachel." He said with a warm smile. "Can you come up here for me?" He asked. Rachel nodded and climbed over Emily, smoothing down her dress and walking as demurely as a nervous seven year old could up to him.

"Hello sir." She said softly, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"Its very nice to meet you." He said. "Why don't you come over here." Rachel walked around the podium and stood next to the judge shyly shooting a glance back at Emily and JJ who smiled back reassuringly. "I'd like to ask you a question if you don't mind." He said. Rachel nodded, trying very hard not to play with her dress.

The rest of the courtroom couldn't really hear them as he had moved away from the mike in front of him. Emily and JJ looked to each other nervously and clasped hands. Emily felt someone place a hand on her shoulder and turned to smile at her mother.

"Rachel, do you like living with Agent Prentiss and Agent Jareau?" He asked softly.

"Yes sir."

"Would you like to stay with them? Have them be your parents?"

Rachel looked up from the floor and met his eyes. She liked his gray hair. He reminded her of Santa Claus. Rachel waved him forward and he humored her. She cupped her hand over his ear and whispered softly. "I love them more than anyone, I want to be with them forever please." She pulled back and smiled, and he returned it.

"You can go head on back down to you seat. It was very nice to meet you." He said. While Rachel trotted back down, she didn't bother climbing over Emily, she simply plopped herself down on her lap. "Most of the time, I have the displeasure of tearing families apart, that's why when I get a case like this, it makes my job feel like its worth something. I am honored to be the one to say that these three are a family. Rachel, Emily and Jennifer, I wish you the very best of luck and I hope you all have a wonderful life." Emily hugged Rachel tightly, her eyes welling up with tears of joy. Glancing over at her mother and JJ, she saw they were barely able to contain their excitement, tears in both their eyes. Elizabeth Prentiss was not one to cry in public, so the proud happy tearful look on her face only caused Emily (and JJ) to cry more. "Congratulations ladies, you are a family."

**A/N- Sorry to cut it off there, the party will be in the next chapter. The next one should be up either Tuesday or Wednesday:)**


	27. Chapter 27

**She's their daughter! I'm glad you guys enjoyed that chapter, on to the party! Hope you enjoy this one as well:) Its a little fluffy. The next one should be up Friday sometime.**

_"True life is lived when tiny changes occur." _

_Leo Tolstoy_

Emily stood hand in hand with JJ outside the courtroom, happier than she'd felt in a long time. Dr. Yang and Rachel's social worker were offering their congratulations. Out of the corner of her eye, Emily saw her mother pull Rachel away and bend down to her. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but watched as Elizabeth pulled out a small box.

"I wanted to give you something." Elizabeth said, opening the box. Rachel stood up on her toes and peered inside with anticipation.

"For me?" She asked quietly. Elizabeth nodded and pulled out a small gold locket. "Wow." Rachel whispered.

"Turn around." Elizabeth placed the necklace around Rachel's neck, smoothing her hair out of the way. "Now, look inside." She offered. Rachel hesitated, afraid she would break it somehow. It looked so expensive and delicate. Elizabeth sensed her apprehension and reached up, surprised at how much this child reminded her of Emily. There was nothing biologically connecting them, but Elizabeth saw her daughter's expressions and mannerisms in this little girl. More so than anything, she saw a second chance. This little girl had somehow given the Ambassador her daughter back and she would be damned if she took her for granted again. Elizabeth was aware of her shortcomings as a mother. She had been focused on her career and not her child and it had cost her a precious relationship. One she was working very hard to get back. Elizabeth opened the locket for Rachel and showed her the photographs inside.

"Its Emily and JJ!" Rachel exclaimed happily. "They look so pretty."

"Indeed they do. Your friend Miss Garcia gave that photograph to me."

"Thank you Mrs. Prentiss." Rachel said shyly.

"Now, none of that." Elizabeth said, rising back up to her full height and smiling. "I'm officially your grandmother know aren't I?"

"You want me to call you Grandma?"

"I'd like that if you would."

Rachel grinned up at Elizabeth, holding the locked happily in her hand. "Okay."

"Wonderful, will you tell your mothers I'll meet you at Agent Rossi's house?"

"Yep!" Rachel said happily. She skipped back over to the group as Elizabeth headed out of the courtroom. Dr. Yang and Rachel's social worker had just left as well. "Look what I got!" Rachel leapt up into Emily's arms, proudly displaying her new locket. "Its got you guys in it!"

JJ leaned over and looked at the locket, grinning to herself. "That's one of my favorite pictures." She said softly. It was from before the two women had begun dating. Looking at their faces, JJ couldn't believe that she hadn't seen that Emily liked her as much as JJ had back then. It was obvious to anyone with eyes. JJ caught her wife's gaze and saw her staring at the blonde, happy looked good on her. So did their daughter on her hip. Their daughter. She was going to love saying that.

"Alright, we've got a party to go to!" Emily stated, twirling Rachel around.

"With cake!" Rachel yelled, throwing her arms into the air. She kicked to be let down and snatched both Emily and JJ's hands, hauling them both outside. As she pulled them down the steps she almost slipped and fell on the last one. Emily and JJ lifted her up, swinging her forward to stop her from falling. "Do that again!" She demanded, trying to get them to swing her.

"Excuse me?" Emily asked with her eyebrows raised.

Rachel grinned sheepishly. "Please?" She asked. Emily looked over at JJ, who beamed back at her.

"One. Two. Three." Emily counted and she and JJ swung Rachel up into the air, squealing with delight.

"Again!" She yelled. "Please!" She added quickly. The two women complied one last time before depositing her into the car.

"WE'RE HERE!" Rachel announced as she ran into Rossi's house. "JACK!" She screamed as she kicked off her shoes and coat; handing them to Rossi with a bright smile. Jack ran over to her, grabbed her hand and yanked her away, the two of them already conspiring. Emily shook her head and hugged Rossi before going into the kitchen with the rest of the party.

"Congratulations!" Mary said, quickly wrapping Emily up into a hug.

"Thank you Mary." Emily said warmly. She stepped out of the way while Mary shrieked and tackle hugged her daughter. "Mother, Rachel loves the locket, thank you." She said, standing next to Elizabeth.

"Good, I'm glad. I...I've got something for you and Jennifer as well."

Emily was shocked, but thrilled when her mother pulled out a second small box. Ordering her to turn around, Elizabeth clasped a second locket around Emily's neck with a stoic smile. Emily touched the necklace, almost unable to believe it was real. She flipped it over and noticed an inscription.

_To my beautiful daughter, may you do better than I. _

Emily felt her eyes well up with tears for the second time today. "Mom." She whispered.

"Open it." Elizabeth prompted, trying to keep her own emotions in check. She was in public, and still the Ambassador. Emily opened the locket and began actively crying now, on one side was a photograph Emily didn't remember ever seeing. A candid photo of Elizabeth holding a three year old Emily. Their faces pressed together, whispering something to each other, bright smiles on them both. On the other side, a picture of Emily and Rachel; also candid. Emily hadn't been aware of its existence either, but she remembered the moment. JJ or Garcia must have snapped it while she wasn't paying attention. Rachel was in her lap, half asleep, listening to Emily read _The Wizard of Oz._

"Mother, I..." Emily's voice broke. She was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't trust herself to say anything else. Elizabeth seemed to be having the same problem and was was clearly uncomfortable. Before either of them could say anything else, Jack and Rachel ran through the kitchen – a game of tag underway – and broke them apart. Elizabeth, whipped her tears quickly, hoping no one noticed and Emily did the same, her hand still holding the locket. "Mother, this is wonderful, thank you." She said, getting her emotions in check. Elizabeth smiled, genuine and loving. She reached out and patted Emily's arm, then stepped away. _Baby steps_. Emily thought.

"Congratulations Emily." Hotch said, coming over to take Elizabeth's place.

Emily shook her head, smiling and holding the locket. "Thanks Hotch." She said warmly. The brunette shot a glance over at JJ, standing with a glass of red wine in her hands, a bright smile on her face, talking with her parents, Rossi and Reid. Morgan and Garcia were sitting at Rossi's kitchen island next to them, sticking out their feet to block Rachel and Jack every time they ran around the kitchen. Elizabeth placed a hand on JJ's shoulder, pulling her away from the group. Emily and Hotch walked over, taking the glasses of wine offered to them and began talking with their friends.

"Jennifer, I wanted to offer my congratulations before I depart."

"You're leaving? You're welcome to stay." JJ insisted.

"No." Elizabeth said with a small smile. "Thank you, but I must be going. I wanted to give you this first." She handed her a locket matching Rachel and Emily's. Shocked, JJ took it and looked to Elizabeth in hesitation. "I have made a lot of mistakes as a mother." Elizabeth admitted. "I'm not one to dwell on flaws, but its true as I'm sure you are aware. I'm hoping to change that, rectify it somehow with Emily if I can." JJ pried open the locket gently, running her fingers over it while she listened. "With you and Rachel as well." Elizabeth said as JJ glanced at the photographs. The blonde looked back up at Elizabeth and smiled, unsure of what to say. "I haven't been the most welcoming mother in law, and I would like to change that."

JJ gave Elizabeth a small smile and touched her arm. "Thank you. I'd like that as well." She looked down at the photographs in the locket and laughed. On the right side was a copy of the same picture of Emily and Rachel reading that Elizabeth had put in Emily's; and on the left was a picture of JJ and Rachel. Rachel had decided she was going to style JJ's hair and the blonde was very patiently humoring her. "I love this, thank you Elizabeth." JJ said sincerely.

Elizabeth simply nodded, uncomfortable with the situation but trying not to be. "Congratulations again Jennifer, you make a wonderful mother. I may not have been initially, but I'm glad my daughter married you; you clearly make each other very happy."

Elizabeth slipped away before JJ could respond. The blonde fingered her locket, staring at the photographs happily. She felt arms slip around her waist and sighed, leaning back into Emily. "Hi." She whispered.

"Hi." The brunette whispered back. "You got one too?" JJ nodded. "Here, I'll put it on." Emily clasped the locket around JJ's neck, the blonde holding her hair out of the way. "What's in yours?" Emily asked. JJ turned and showed Emily, reaching up and opening hers at the same time. "I love this picture." Emily said with a laugh.

"Em, this one of you and your mom is adorable."

"Yeah, I don't remember it." Emily said wistfully.

JJ put her arms around Emily's waist and pulled her in, sneaking a kiss while no one was looking at them. "We have a daughter." She whispered.

"I know." Emily looked up. "She's currently about to throw water on Morgan." She said in a surprisingly calm voice. JJ turned around just in time to see Rachel toss a half empty glass of water in Morgan's face. Jack cheered while she giggled and the two of them took off running.

"You're turn!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel!" Emily called after them. "Come back and apologize."

"It was a dare!"

"Rachel Prentiss you get over here right now!"

Rachel froze in place, forgetting for a moment that her name was in fact now Prentiss and not Gallagher. It was the first time she had heard it out loud. Despite being yelled at, she quite liked it. Rachel glared at Jack for picking a dare that would get her in trouble and stalked over to Emily and JJ.

"It was a dare." She repeated. "If you're dared you have to do it otherwise you're a wimp." JJ raised her eyebrows, and Rachel pouted. "Its a rule." She insisted. Catching sight of their lockets, she grinned. "You got necklaces too!" She cheered, reaching up to try and open them. "What pictures did Grandma give you?"

Emily and JJ both froze at the word 'Grandma' having never heard it from Rachel before.

"Grandma?" Emily asked.

Rachel shrugged. "She said I should call her that now, what pictures did you get?" Emily and JJ bent down and showed her, Rachel grinned then caught sight of Jack. Dropping the necklaces she ran over to him and pulled him into the living room suspiciously. Morgan chased after them with a mischievous grin.

"That won't end well." Emily muttered.

"Not at all." JJ agreed. She pulled Emily over to the couch and sat down next to her mother.

Morgan crouched down headed forward and followed the giggles. Rachel and Jack were trying very hard to be quiet from their hiding place under Rossi's desk, but they were having a difficult time of it. Jack laughed as Morgan called out to them and Rachel quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Jackie Boy, come on out." Morgan cooed. Rachel pressed her hand tighter against Jack's mouth as he kicked his legs out. "Freckles, you know I'm gonna get you back for that right?" Jack reached over and placed his own hand over Rachel's mouth, even though she didn't make any noise. She kicked him. "Now I heard that!" Morgan yelled. "Where are you guys?" Jack and Rachel froze, hands over each other's mouths, desperately trying not to laugh. The next thing they knew, Morgan's face appeared in front of them. "Gotcha." He smirked.

"RUN!" Rachel screamed, shoving Jack forward and using him as a shield to doge Morgan.

"You conniving little git!" Morgan yelled with glee as he grabbing hold of Jack. He kicked and tried to get away, but Morgan held fast. "Jackie Boy, you're on my team now. Boys against girls."

"No way!" Jack yelled. "RACHEL RUN!"

Rachel squealed and bolted out of Rossi's office, looking for a new hiding place. "I'll come back and rescue you Jack!" She yelled.

"HURRY!"

"You'll never get him back alive!" Morgan yelled after her as he threw Jack over his shoulder.

"I WILL TOO!" She screamed. Rachel ran over to Reid and yanked him up off the couch, mid conversation with JJ. "Help me rescue Jack." She ordered.

"What?"

"You and Morgan have a prank war right? I'll be on your team!" Rachel offered her services proudly, as if Reid should be eternally thankful. Jack screamed from the other room.

"Should I be worried?" Hotch asked Rachel.

"Nah, he's just trying to torture him to get him on his team. It won't work." Rachel said with a shrug.

"Why not? He's an FBI agent, he knows how to get information out of people."

Rachel turned to Hotch skeptically, raising her eyebrows at him, looking eerily like JJ. "So what? I'm his best friend. He'll never talk." Rachel said confidently. Hotch laughed. "Spence! Come on!" Rachel pulled a reluctant Reid into the other room. "We need a plan." Rachel whispered.

"What exactly are we trying to do?" Reid whispered back, confused as to how he got roped into this.

"Save Jack and beat Morgan! Weren't you listening?" Rachel said exasperated.

"Alright but why?"

"Because!"

"That's not really a reason to..." Rachel glared at him and crossed her arms. Reid stopped and sighed. "Okay, what is your plan?" He asked.

Rachel grinned devilishly and Reid gulped at the look on her face. This was not a girl to mess with, Morgan was going down. Rachel pulled him down to her level. "Here's what we're gonna do." She began.

JJ glanced up from the couch as Morgan walked back into the room, Jack over his shoulder. "Where's Freckles and Reid?

"Plotting your doom." Rossi said, getting up and lightly smacking Morgan's free shoulder. "Who wants dinner? Pasta alfredo."

"Yum!" Garcia said, happily following Rossi to the table, the rest of the group behind her.

"My doom?" Morgan asked. He lifted Jack around so he could see his face. "This is your fault isn't it?"

"You captured me. Only fair."

Morgan snorted and deposited Jack down into his seat next to Hotch. "Rachel! Reid! Come eat!" Rossi yelled. The two of them walked into the kitchen, Reid grinning and Rachel shooting Morgan a death glare. He frowned at the little girl as she slid into her seat next to JJ and across from him.

"What?" He asked.

Rachel leaned forward. "You're going down." She stated seriously.

"What! You and Pretty Boy over there? No way!" Morgan laughed.

"Morgan, she is an incredibly intelligent and surprisingly devious seven year old, if I were you, I would be scared." Reid warned. Morgan's grin faltered, but only for a moment, confidant that there was no way he could be outsmarted by a seven year old girl.

"Rachel, do your plans have any intentions of hurting Morgan or anyone else?" JJ asked as she dished out pasta onto her plate.

"Not physically." Rachel said simply. JJ snorted while Garcia began laughing hysterically.

The group ate dinner loudly and happily, enjoying each other's company. It wasn't so often that this group had the opportunity to get together for a joyous occasion. They were making the most of it. The food was decadent, and Rachel managed to get most of this pasta in her mouth rather than her lap. JJ had thought quickly and cut it up before even giving it to her. Not wanting a repeat of the first night Rachel had stayed with them. When most people were finished, Rachel flicked her nose once, signaling Reid and ran from the table. She tried to grab Jack, but Morgan lifted him up and away before she could grab his hand.

"Nuh huh." He warned. "He's my hostage."

Rachel promptly stuck out her tongue and pulled Reid away with her. "You'll be sorry." She warned.

"We will crush you." Reid added.

Morgan scoffed. "I steal one kid!" He exclaimed. Jack grinned from Morgan's lap and ate one of his rolls. "Hey!" Morgan protested.

"You're going down!" Jack stated happily.

"Not a chance." Morgan growled.

"I dunno Doll, Rachel and Reid together are devious." Garcia said with a smirk. "I would watch your back if I were you."

"Well, while Derek contemplates that, shall we break out the cake?" Rossi asked.

"YES!" Rachel screamed from the other room, running back in and jumping up and down next to Emily.

"I thought you were plotting my doom." Morgan teased her.

"We are. I never said it would be tonight. You'll never see it coming." Rachel warned. Morgan looked up at Reid's smirk and this time his grin really did falter. _Shit_. He thought. Rossi laughed and pulled out a cake, placing it down on the table in front of everyone. "A TARDIS!" Rachel screamed with delight. "ITS' A TARDIS!" She grabbed Emily's arm and jumped up and down. "Look! Look! A Tardis!"

"I see it." Emily smiled. Rachel squealed and twirled, then climbed onto Emily's lap.

"I want part of the door!" She said. Emily poked her gently in the ribs. "Please!" She added. "I would love it if you gave me a piece of the door _please_ Mr. Dave."

"For the guest of honor, it would be my pleasure." Rossi said with a smile as he cut out a large piece of the blue door and set it down in front of Rachel. The little girl dug in happily.

"Its chocolate!" She announced. Emily smiled and Rachel picked up a piece of it, holding it out to Emily. The brunette quickly took it before it fell onto her lap.

"Mhmm." She said, her mouth full of the huge bite Rachel had given her. From her right, JJ chuckled and Emily reached around Rachel and gave her a light smack. The blonde responded by wiping some frosting on Emily's nose. Rachel giggled and tried to put some frosting on JJ's nose, but JJ caught her and ate the frosting before she could. An all out food fight was almost started, but Hotch and Rossi quickly put an end to it once Garcia threatened to throw cake at Reid. A few minutes later, the party began to disband. Jack and Rachel yawning into their cake and Mary and Andrew having a long drive ahead of them. Emily and JJ thanked everyone, over and over, especially Rossi and headed out to the car. Rachel was awake enough to glare at Morgan and drag a finger across her neck, threatening him.

By the time they arrived back at their apartment, Rachel was half asleep, but trying very hard to convince the two women that she wasn't tired in the least.

"Rach, you're dead on your feet." Emily insisted.

"I'm not dead!" Rachel protested.

"No babe, its an expression." JJ explained with a laugh. "Come on, pjs, now."

"Can I please stay up?" Rachel begged. JJ glanced to Emily and sighed. It wasn't too late, she didn't have school tomorrow, and they had the day off from work. Tonight was a special occasion.

"Fine. But go change into pjs."

"Okay!" Rachel ran up the stairs revived and excited at the prospect of staying up late. Emily and JJ followed, wanting to change into something more comfortable as well. Rachel pulled her tights off roughly and tried to wriggle out of the dress, but couldn't reach the zipper. Frustrated, she tried to simply pull it over her head but got stuck and began panicking. "Help!" She yelled, her voice muffled in the dress. "JJ! Mly!" She began kicking around, pulling desperately at the dress, trying to get it off her face. "MOMMA! MOMMY! HELP!" She finally screamed.

Emily and JJ both looked up at the exact same moment. They stared at each other for a second then both bolted out of their bedroom. "Rach, what..." JJ trailed off at the sight of Rachel pulling desperately at her dress, her head out of sight, flopping around the room. JJ bit back a laugh and moved forward with Emily. "Rach, babe, hold still." JJ held Rachel in place while she fought against the dress.

"Sweetie, hold still." Emily insisted. While JJ held the wriggling girl in place, Emily unzipped the dress and pulled it off of Rachel with a smile.

The seven year old breathed a sigh of relief. "Took you long enough!" She yelled. "I was dying!"

"You weren't dying." JJ insisted.

Rachel crossed her arms over her bare chest and glared at the blonde. "I was_ too_ Momma. I'm never wearing that dress again." JJ's heart leapt. So she was Momma. She looked to Emily and grinned, overwhelmed with the days events. Rachel stamped over to her dresser and dug around until she found what she was looking for. One of Emily's _Doctor Who_ shirts she had stolen a few days before. She yanked it over her head and grinned. "Mommy, can we watch _Doctor Who_?" She asked, hugging a beaming Emily.

The brunette shared a look with JJ and neither of them needed words. Nothing they said would be able to describe what they were feeling anyway. Rachel finally considered them her real parents. It was a small change really, she was acting the same as she had that morning, but with one tiny change of a name, everything felt complete and right. Emily leaned over and kissed JJ while Rachel protested, then lifted her into the air. "Of course we can." She announced happily. JJ slipped her hand into Emily's and the three of them made their way downstairs, happier than they could remember.


	28. Chapter 28

**The reviews all of you just gave me have made me happier than I can possibly tell you. It means so much to me that people like this story and take the time to tell me so. I love each and every one of you, all the silent readers, all the ones that comment and I just wanted to especially thank a few people that have commented almost every chapter and said some incredible things: ****Nightlancer600****, ****JMcDeere****, ****calzonaobessed,**** and ****red lighting****.**** Thank you:) P.S. I took french in high school, pretty much came as close to failing as you can without actually failing, so google translate is my best friend. If anything is incorrect, blame him. My next chapter should be up either late Sunday afternoon/evening or Monday morning, possibly afternoon.**

***edit 2/4/12: a few corrected translations thanks to a reader:)**

Rachel snuck her head out from under the blankets and giggled as JJ caught sight of her. "Momma!" She yelled. "You're supposed to close your eyes!"

"I'm sorry." JJ laughed, quickly covering her eyes, but peaking between her fingers as Rachel hid from her sight. In all of the days after the adoption, JJ hadn't gotten tired of hearing the word 'Momma' once; it still made her smile every single time. JJ watched as the blankets rustled again and Emily cursed as she banged her head.

"Mommy!" JJ heard Rachel yell. "That is a bad word." The seriousness of the little girl's voice caused JJ to snort.

"I'm sorry." Emily grumbled. Her voice was muffled under the blankets. JJ could picture her rubbing her head and trying not to continue swearing.

"When can I look?" She asked.

"Drink your coffee and let her surprise you!" Emily ordered, clearly still in pain.

"Yeah!" Rachel added. "Let us surprise you!"

JJ bit her lip to keep from laughing and did as Emily told her. As if it could be a surprise. JJ had woken up to an empty bed and heard Emily and Rachel downstairs as usual. How they could stand to get up so early was beyond her; it was a Saturday! When she finally made her way downstairs that morning, half of a blanket and pillow fort was already in mid construction. The two brunettes had ordered her out of the room, telling her they would call her back when they were ready. JJ refused to go anywhere without coffee first. Under Rachel's orders she was closing her eyes – or at least pretending too. JJ took her coffee mug into Emily's library and set it down on the desk. Technically, it was their library, but JJ always thought of it as Emily's and she liked it that way. The blonde stroked her fingers across the spines gingerly, she hadn't read a book in a while – she'd had too much on her plate. Now her life felt normal, complete, whole, like she had time to do something as simple as read a book. JJ finally settled on one of the newer ones Emily had bought, _Born Under a Million Shadows_ by Andrea Busfield. She made herself comfortable in the big reclining chair and cracked the book open.

The time passed quickly, JJ found herself enthralled with the novel and before she knew it, Emily's face appeared upside down above her. "Hello love." Emily grinned. She kissed JJ and took a seat on the armrest. "Whatcha reading?" JJ lifted the book up and showed her. "Ah, I loved that one."

"HURRY UP!" Rachel yelled from the other room.

Emily smirked and stuck out her hand. "I have been ordered to come get you, she has a surprise."

"Humm...yes I noticed something odd in my living room." JJ murmured.

Emily laughed lightly and pulled JJ up, smacking her ass for good measure. "We did a kick ass job thank you very much, you are about to be amazed."

JJ allowed herself to be ushered into the living room and caught herself grinning at the sight. There was no hint of the couch or the tv anywhere. An intricate blanket fort had been constructed, and Emily was right, it was awesome. Rachel beamed at JJ and ran over to her, grabbing the profiler's hand she pulled her excitedly to the entrance. "Come inside!" Rachel dropped to the floor and crawled in, JJ gave Emily a look before following behind. _Holy shit_. JJ thought. _This is fucking cool._ Emily and Rachel had outdone themselves. It was everything a kid could want in a fort, truthfully, JJ felt quite giddy herself. She looked behind her and saw the same childish glee on Emily's face and her grin widened. Rachel excitedly pointed out all of the complex and unique features of their fort. The tv was hidden inside, as well as part of the couch and right in the middle of the fort was a picnic breakfast.

"Remember what I told you about Emily offering you food?" JJ whispered to Rachel. Emily frowned and smacked JJ lightly on the leg.

"Its okay, its a take out breakfast!" Rachel said happily. "How cool is that!"

"Very." JJ agreed, eyeing the pancakes. The three of them dug in hungrily and spent the rest of the morning in the fort. Around two, Jack came over and the two children promptly banned Emily and JJ. "How rude." JJ pouted. Emily grinned and wrapped her arms around JJ's waist.

"I don't mind."

JJ rolled her eyes. Emily began kissing her neck and JJ moaned quietly. "Rachel! Jack!" She yelled as she took Emily's hand and pulled her upstairs. "Em and I will be upstairs for a while, yell up if you need anything!"

"Okay." Two uninterested voices chorused.

They began stripping their clothes off in a hurry, making their way up the stairs and trying not to lost contact with each other. JJ pushed Emily into their bedroom, a huge grin on her face. "Lock the door." She practically growled.

* * *

><p>"Tell me."<p>

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No!"

"Reid! Come on man! Tell me."

Reid leaned forward over his desk and stared at Morgan. "No." He repeated calmly.

Morgan leaned back and ran his palm over his head in frustration. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"Morgan, stop talking to me."

"Well, should I..."

"Morgan! Give it up." Emily groaned. "He is not going to tell you."

"Then _you_ tell me!"

"I have no idea what Rachel and Reid are planning for you. All I know, is Jack is in on it as well and she has promised that you will not be physically hurt. Other than that, I can't wait to see what they come up with. I'm quite enjoying this." Emily smirked and went back to her file. Morgan frowned and threw his pen at her head. "Oww, fucker." Emily threw it back with perfect precision.

"I saw that." Hotch chastised as he walked through the bullpen. "Conference room, we've got a case."

Embarrassed – but only slightly – Morgan and Emily followed the rest of the team into the conference room. Morgan managed to get in a light smack when Hotch wasn't looking, but JJ caught him and pinched his side, hard. Morgan jumped in pain and glared at her. JJ simply shrugged and turned her attention to Garcia. "Be nice to my wife." She whispered.

"She started it." Morgan whispered back.

"Are you five?" Rossi asked from across the table.

"Lets get started shall we?" Hotch asked with a frown. Everyone quickly sat up straighter in their seats and focused on the files in front of them, not noticing the hidden smile that creeped across Hotch's face before he got down to business. "We've got three men dead in a small town in Maine, all in their mid twenties."

"He doesn't seem to be a very organized killer." Reid spoke up, talking fast and his hands moving rapidly in midair. "The severe overkill shows an intense level of rage."

"What kind of weapon did he use?" Emily asked.

"A baseball bat, wiped clean of all fingerprints." Garcia instructed them.

"He left it at the scene? Did he use it for each murder?" JJ asked.

"Different bat each time, same make and model, all wiped clean."

"If he left them that's symbolic of him wanting to rid himself somehow of what he's done. Discarding his weapon and leaving it with the victim is a part of his signature." Reid added.

"Wheels up in half an hour." Hotch instructed as he left the room to call Jessica and tell her he had a case. He didn't know what he would do without Haley's sister.

JJ pulled out her phone and called her mother while Emily went to gather their go-bags. Morgan continued to try and coerce information out of Reid. When JJ headed over with a grimace Emily sighed. "They can't come?" She asked.

JJ shook her head. "My dad's sick, contagious, Mom could have it too, they don't want to infect her."

"I'll call my mother, she said she would be in town for a week or so last night, she wanted to come see her anyway." Emily offered. She caught the hesitation on JJ's face. "We don't really have another option, we haven't gotten a proper nanny for this yet. She's been kind of great lately, she can handle Rach for a few days. It's at least worth a shot to ask."

"Yeah, fine." JJ agreed, biting her lip. As great as Elizabeth had been recently, the woman still had a lot of making up to with Emily in JJ's eyes. She was not about to subject her daughter to that if she could help it.

"She'll pick her up after school, I've just got to call and let her teacher know." Emily announced with a smile.

"Great." JJ mumbled.

"What?" Emily asked.

"I hate leaving, its our first case since the adoption."

"I know. I wish we could at least have said goodbye." Emily groaned.

"Oh my lovelies have no fear, I've already got a video chat set up and ready to go once she gets out of school. Go, solve crimes, be bamfs and then come home because we are in dire need of a girls night." Garcia announced as she stalked through the bullpen. "I love Rachel, but that girl has kept you two in being old married boring parents for months now. I want to dance!"

"Garcia..." Emily began.

Garcia cut her off. "This is not a request. Rachel and Jack are having a sleepover at Hotch's, you, me, Morgan, and Reid are going out, end of sentence. Now, Hotch wanted you on the jet two minutes ago." Garcia smirked, smacked their asses and headed off to her lair.

"Shit." Emily groaned, grabbing her bag and running through the bullpen, JJ right behind her, trying to get to the jet as fast as possible.

* * *

><p>"Hi Grandma." Rachel greeted Elizabeth with a soft smile.<p>

"Hello dear, what...what has happened to your uniform?"

Rachel glanced down sheepishly at her clothes. Her sweater had dirt and grass stains on it, her ponytail was loose and falling all around her face, and her tights were ripped. "Umm...I played kickball at recess. My team won!" Rachel ran past Elizabeth and jumped into her town car without looking the Ambassador in the eye. Suspiciously, Elizabeth followed, fully aware that Rachel was lying. She slipped ladylike into the backseat and gave her driver directions to Emily's apartment.

"Ah..Miss Garcia? Penelope? Has set up something called a video chat? She assured me that you knew how to work it."

"I do! Where did they go this time?" Rachel tried to use her backpack to cover the extra holes in her tights that Elizabeth hadn't seen at first.

"Maine."

"Have you ever been there?"

"I have."

"Is it pretty?"

"Yes it is. I'll take you someday."

"Awesome!" Rachel grinned. "Can we go to Paris?"

"Paris? Why Paris?"

"I like it best when Mommy speaks french. She's teaching me!" Rachel turned to face Elizabeth and with an adorable amount of concentration spoke slowly. "Mon nom est Rachel J'ai sept ans."

"Très bein!" Elizabeth complimented. Rachel beamed as they headed into the apartment. She hung up her coat and placed her shoes by the door. "Run up and change, bring those clothes down to the hamper."

"Okay! Je reviens tout de suite!" Rachel called behind her as she ran upstairs. She quickly undressed and threw her dirty and ripped clothes into a pile on her floor. Pulling on a t-shirt given to her by Garcia that said; 'You wish you were me' and some leggings, she ran back downstairs. "I'm ready! Can I call them now?" She begged.

"I don't know how to use this contraption." Elizabeth said, gesturing to the computer. "I don't understand how you use it as a telephone."

"Its easy!" Rachel climbed up onto a stool and pulled the laptop forward, pressing the few buttons Garcia had shown her more than once and waited eagerly as it dialed. "Mommy!" She yelled happily as Emily's face graced the screen. "Comment vas-tu?"

"Je vais très bien, comment était ta journée à l'école? Ton français s'améliore!"

"I...I only understood that you're great." Rachel admitted. "And...school?"

"Oui." Emily said with a smile.

"It was fine. Where's Momma?"

Emily noticed Rachel's deflection and looked to the corner of the screen, meeting her mother's face. Clearly, Elizabeth was aware of it as well. Emily decided not to press the issue right now. "She's out at a crime scene with Hotch right now but I will make sure that she calls you before you go to bed." Rachel pouted a little but quickly began to tell Emily about the book she was reading for school. Rachel's grades had improved considerably in the last few months and they were discussing letting her move up to second grade. Her reading had improved by leaps and bounds in the last month or so, and she was taking after the Emily, devouring one book after another. Emily glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Morgan nodding to her. "Monkey, I've got to go but you be good for your grandmother okay? I'll make sure JJ calls you tonight."

"Okay." Rachel grumbled. "I mean, ok À plus tard!"

"Love you." Emily said, blowing a kiss.

"Au revoir!" Rachel jumped down from the stool. "I'm gonna go play in my fort." She informed Elizabeth.

"Alright dear." Elizabeth said with a frown. The whole fort business was a little ridiculous to her, but the smile on her granddaughter's face made it bearable. "Emily?" She asked, sticking her head in front of the computer.

"Mother, I really do have to go, but...did something happen with her in school today?"

"I believe so, I'm working on it."

"Let me know please, don't let her stay up too late and no matter what she says, no she cannot have coco puffs for dinner."

Elizabeth laughed. "I am not that incompetent dear."

Emily bit her lip sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You needn't apologize, you're a wonderful mother, be safe."

Emily hung up the line with a smile.

"Grandma!" Rachel yelled. "Come see my fort!"

* * *

><p><strong>Translations: <strong>

_Mon nom est Rachel J'ai sept ans_. - My name is Rachel, I am seven.

_Très bonne_ – Very good.

_Je reviens tout de suite_ – Be right back

_Comment vas-tu_ – How are you

_Je vais très bien, comment était ta journée à l'école? Ton français s'améliore_ – I'm great sweetie, how was school? Your french is improving.

_Oui_. - Yes

À plus tard– See you later

_Au revoir_ - goodbye


	29. Chapter 29

Elizabeth was in hell. Where was the polite, well mannered, adorable child she had met and loved? This certainly wasn't her. Rachel was currently jumping up and down on her bed, yelling some inappropriate song at the top of her lungs. Elizabeth had already told her to get back into bed three times.

"Rachel!" She yelled again. "Stop this right now."

"NO!" Rachel screamed. Elizabeth sighed. Despite the fact that she was an adult and a rational human being who knew that she was the newest person in Rachel's life and the little girl was testing her; it didn't make her want to throttle Rachel any less. Ever since she had hung up with Emily she had been running wild. Refusing to do her homework, refusing to turn off the tv, refusing to come out of her fort, refusing to eat the dinner Elizabeth had called for, refusing to take a bath, refusing to do anything Elizabeth asked. It was infuriating.

The phone rang and Elizabeth answered it with a sigh. "Hello?"

"Elizabeth? Its JJ, is Rach still up?"

"Yes. Despite being tucked in three different times. She hasn't been behaving very well."

"I'm sorry." JJ said tiredly. "May I speak with her?"

"Hold on, I'll get her." Elizabeth walked down the hall to Rachel's bedroom and knocked. Rachel was still jumping up and down, but seemed to have finished her song. "Rachel, your mother is on the phone." She said holding it out.

Rachel grinned and jumped off of the bed. Running over to Elizabeth, she took the phone, gently pushed her grandmother out of the room and closed the door in her face. "Hello?" She said moving back to her bed.

"I hear you're not behaving."

"MOMMA!" Rachel cheered. "I am too! Well...kinda."

"When you are done talking to me, you are going to apologize to your grandmother, go straight to sleep and behave the rest of this case or you will be grounded. Do you understand me?"

Rachel frowned and kicked her bed. "Yes." She muttered through clenched teeth.

"Good girl. How was school?"

"Fine."

"What did you learn?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing! Well, we're wasting our money then aren't we?" JJ joked. Rachel laughed and flopped down on the bed.

"Well, did you know that elephants are the only animal that can't jump?"

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Rachel said excitedly. "Isn't that cool?"

"Very."

"Momma, when are you coming home?"

"Monkey, we only just left today. Hopefully we'll be home in a few days, in the meantime, you need to listen to Elizabeth."

"Fine."

"Goodnight baby, I love you." JJ caught Emily stepping out of the bathroom and held the phone up, Emily yelled 'goodnight' as well and the blonde smiled.

"Night Momma." Rachel hung the phone up, upset and annoyed. She huffed and stood up, opening her door and finding Elizabeth standing in the hallway. "I'm sorry I was rude." She grumbled as she held up the phone to her.

"Thank you for apologizing." Elizabeth accepted the phone. "Now, off to bed."

Rachel stalked down the hall and climbed into her bed. She pulled the covers over her head. Something about being under them that way made her feel more secure, safe somehow. Rachel was angry. She stuck her hand out from under the covers and snatched her walkie-talkie. "Jack? Are you there? Come in. over." She whispered into it.

"Tin Man." Jack's voice crackled back through the line sleepily. "Code names Scarecrow. What do you want? I'm sleeping. Over."

Rachel huffed and pressed the talk button with much more force than was necessary. "Tin Man. You are not asleep, you're talking to me. I want to do our prank to Morgan when he gets back from this case okay? Over."

"Fine. Great, let me sleep. Over."

"Jack, have you ever punched anyone?"

"No, why?"

"I did today. I beat up this boy Jason at recess. You remember my friend Tommy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Jason picks on him all the time. Pushes him when the teachers aren't looking, gives him wedgies, once he stuck his head in a toilet. And he calls him names, today he made Tommy cry. He's always really mean about Tommy having two dads, and I got mad so I punched him in the face. Jason said he wouldn't hit a little girl, so I kept punching him until he fought back. I won. But, if anyone finds out, Mommy and Momma are gonna be really mad at me."

"Don't tell them." Jack insisted quickly.

"I'm not gonna! But they might find out."

"Cross your fingers." Jack offered with a yawn.

"Butthead." Rachel said, pulling the batteries out of the walkie-talkie and throwing it on the floor. She climbed out of her bed and tip toed down the hall. Opening the door to Emily and JJ's bedroom slowly, she ran across the room and jumped up onto the large empty bed. It smelled like them. Rachel pulled their pillows around her and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Small towns had this unfortunate problem of being small. JJ hated them. She had hated East Allegheny and she hated this town in Maine. She refused to learn the town's name on principle. As the days went by, everything just became a blur. A harsh, confusing, cruel blur. There had been another murder yesterday, thankfully, the team was closing in on their unsub. From the phone calls home and the video chats, it was clear that Rachel wasn't behaving very well and Elizabeth was close to her last nerve. Garcia had taken over the night before when Elizabeth got a call needing her in France. Rachel was much more compliment with the blonde, but definitely acting out.<p>

JJ donned her kevlar vest and holstered her gun. Climbing into the SUV she stared out the window. It was an odd situation when they drove to an unsub's home, or location, wherever they were. There was a certain amount of adrenaline – a rush if you will – that both excited and bothered JJ. She shot a glance into the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Reid. He had mentioned having an odd feeling about this case two days before, JJ shared his sentiment, but she wasn't sure why. Nothing about this case screamed abnormal.

The cars squealed to a stop and JJ leapt out of the vehicle, following close behind Hotch, Reid directly behind her. She knew Emily, Rossi and Morgan were taking the front of the house. She watched them head up to the door, locked her gaze with her wife's, gave her a small nod and headed to the back of the house. Her gun pointed out in front of her, she inched forward, following Hotch's lead. She heard Rossi yell for him to open up, banging on the door and then silence. She tensed. Hearing a loud crack, she knew Morgan had kicked in the door, himself, Rossi and Emily now inside. She stepped to the left, Reid to the right, on either side of the back door, Hotch stood directly in front of it, waiting. JJ hated the waiting. This was taking forever, she just wanted to go home and play in a blanket fort with her kid.

The door burst open, the unsub barreling into Hotch. JJ leapt forward and kicked him hard in the stomach. Stunning him long enough for Hotch to get up and knock him back down. The man was strong, and clearly knowledgeable in fighting techniques. Hotch held fast, but the unsub was gaining the upper hand. Neither JJ nor Reid could get a clean shot. Hotch and the unsub were a mess of tangled bodies, and they weren't about to risk hurting Hotch. JJ took a deep breath, saw an opportunity and lunged forward, slamming her body into the unsubs, knocking him off balance.

"JJ!" Reid yelled in distress. They had been too busy with this unsub to realize there was a second in the house, the rest of the team had been chasing him. Morgan clasped the second unsub into cuffs and Rossi helped pull him outside, while Emily went to go help the team.

The brunette walked outside right as the unsub wound up and slammed his full weight into JJ. He picked up a loose piece of wire fence and stabbed her in the stomach with it forcefully, then wound up and punched her in the face. The blonde went down hard and Emily's breath left her body. Hotch jumped on him and slapped the handcuffs roughly to his wrists. Yanking him upward and shoving him at Rossi who pulled him over to the other officers.

JJ had yet to move.

Emily was frozen. She stared, willing JJ to get up, to move, make a noise, anything. Nothing happened. Emily lunged forward and bent down next to her wife, gingerly moving her to see her face. Blood spilling out of her side and Emily quickly pressed her hand against it. Trying to will it back inside of her. "Jen, shit! Jen, please say something, look at me honey please. Fuck! HOTCH! GET AN AMBULANCE!" Emily screamed. Arms were on her, she fought against them until she realized it was Reid.

"Em, move so the paramedics can work on her." He said softly. Emily allowed him to pull her away, but only slightly, she refused to stand up or move more than a few feet away from JJ. The paramedics were working tirelessly and Emily saw JJ's eyes flutter open.

"Jen!" She yelled happily.

"Alright, she's stable lets get her in the bus!" One of the paramedics yelled.

Emily rose quickly, reaching out and grasping JJ's hand. "I'm going with her." She stated firmly.

"Ma'am..." The man began to say. He stopped at the look on the brunette's face. He knew that look. He'd seen it a million times before. It was the feral, deeply human look that so many gave him when their loved ones were hurt. This woman was getting in his bus, or she was shooting him in the head, probably worse. "Hop in first so we can lift her." He said. Emily gave him a sharp nod and leapt into the back of the ambulance. They lifted JJ in gently and quickly. Emily felt like throwing up at the look on her wife's face. She was terrified, and half unconscious.

Emily bent over, gingerly running her fingers through the blonde hair, resting her lips on JJ's forehead. "You've got to be okay Jen. You've got to open your eyes and wake up and be okay. You've got Rachel, she loves you, you have to be okay for her...for me...please." Emily begged, tears in her eyes. "Please be okay."

JJ didn't open her eyes.

The drive to the hospital was quick, the harsh bright lights made Emily cringe. She fucking hated hospitals. The doctors poured in, all around her, coming from every possible direction, pushing her away and pulling JJ off with them. Emily called out angrily, but strong arms held her back. "They're gonna fix her up Princess. She's tough. Toughest one of all of us, you know that." Morgan whispered. Emily broke down, collapsing into Morgan and letting herself sob. He gripped her tightly and lovingly. "She's gonna be fine. She's gonna be fine." He continued to whisper.

* * *

><p>Garcia whipped the tears from her eyes quickly, hearing Rachel running through the living room. "Auntie Pen!" She yelled happily. "Guess what!"<p>

"What?" Garcia asked, desperately trying not to burst back into tears. Hotch had just hung up with her and given her the news that JJ had been hurt and was currently in surgery. Her best fucking friend was in surgery and there was nothing she could do but make sure her daughter was okay.

"Look! I can do a back flip now!" Rachel said excitedly. "We've been practicing flips in dance class, I can do it now! Watch!" Rachel stood back from Garcia, making sure she had a large enough amount of room and grinned brightly. Garcia managed a weak smile back. Rachel took a deep breath, an adorable amount of concentration on her face that normally would have Garcia giggling with laughter. Rachel held her arms out in front of her, simply stood there for a moment before impressively throwing her body into the air; landing perfectly and with a huge grin. "HOW COOL IS THAT!" Rachel yelled, jumping up and down with girlish excitement. It broke Garcia's heart. "Can we set up a video chat and show Mommy? She can't even do that! Momma's gonna flip." Rachel grinned mischievously and Garcia choked out a sob. "Auntie Pen? What's wrong?" Rachel asked, moving forward to Garcia.

Garcia quickly took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nothing Munchkin." She insisted, reaching out and pulling Rachel onto her lap. "I think the team is busy right now, but we can record it if you want."

Rachel whipped her head around excitedly. "Really?"

Garcia nodded. "Sure."

"Awesome!" Rachel leapt off of Garcia's lap and repositioned herself. "Get it ready!" She ordered. "Please." She added with a smile. Garcia didn't look at her, it was too hard to keep herself controlled. She set up the camera and hit record. "Ready?" Rachel asked.

Garcia nodded. "Yeah Munchkin, show your stuff."

Rachel giggled. "Hi Mommy! Hi Momma!" She waved to the camera. "Guess what! I can do a back flip! Are you prepared to have your minds blown?" Rachel winked to the camera and for a moment – just one moment – Garcia almost forgot what was happening in a different state. Rachel was so fucking precious. She executed another perfect back flip, grinning madly as she finished. "And now that you are dead from the awesomeness, come home soon okay? It looks way cooler in person. Right Auntie Pen?"

"Very, very cool." Garcia added with a smile.

Rachel stepped forward, sticking her face directly in front of the camera. The little girl lowered her voice to a whisper and cupped her hands around her mouth. "I love you both." She announced for the first time, leaning further forward and kissing the camera. "Bye!"

Garcia shut the camera off and couldn't stop herself from crying. "I'll be right back Rach." She announced as she quickly stood up and ran into the bathroom.

Rachel looked after her and frowned. She was seven, not stupid.

The curly haired little girl rose from the table and followed Garcia down the hall. She stuck her head against the door and heard Garcia trying to control her sobs. Rachel's tummy instantly started hurting. She backed away slowly, afraid of what was going on. Why was Garcia crying? Rachel lifted her fist up and knocked lightly on the door. "Auntie Pen? Are you hurt? I can find a band-aid."

"No, I'm okay sweetie, why don't you go watch tv for a little bit? I'll call and get us some pizza." Garcia's muffled reply came through the door.

Rachel didn't quite believe Garcia, she didn't seem okay, but the blonde had never lied to her before. Rachel slowly walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch, turning the television on and flicking through the channels until she settled on a re-run of _Rugrats_. She only half watched Angelica tease Tommy and Chuckie, listening instead for the sound of Garcia coming out of the bathroom. Unfortunately for her, _Rugrats_ captured her attention before Garcia emerged.

* * *

><p>Emily bit her nails, fuck the bad habit, her wife was unconscious and people were cutting into her. She realized that she was tasting blood right now, but it didn't stop her. Reid's hand slipping into hers did. The man didn't say a word, just gripped Emily's hand tightly and sat there. Emily couldn't have been more grateful. She held onto Reid's hand as if it were a lifeline, and in that moment, it was.<p>

A doctor walked down the hall, catching their attention and Emily jumped from her seat. "Is she okay?" She asked quickly.

The doctor held his hands up to still her. "She's out of surgery." He stated quickly. "It was touch and go for a while, her head was hit hard, and the cut in her side was deep, it cut into the liver but we were able to repair it. She's unconscious right now, when she wakes up she will be groggy and in pain, but she will wake up and she will make a full recovery. Its going to take a while. She is going to be very sore, and need a lot of care, but she will be alright. You can go see her now if you want, but I ask that you keep it to only one for now. Visiting hours are over and she needs her rest."

"Thank you." Emily said sincerely. She turned and caught Hotch's eye, he gave her a tight nod.

"Emily, go ahead, I'll get the nurse to get you a bed. We'll head back to the hotel and come back here in the morning. We'll let Garcia know."

Emily nodded and released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Walking down the hall, she clenched her hands into fists to stop herself from bitting her nails again. She paused at JJ's door, terrified with what she was going to be greeted with. Emily took a deep breath and pushed the door open gently, she let out a small cry and covered her mouth with her hand. JJ was ghastly pale, her hair matted and stringy, tubes helping her breathe. Emily stepped forward so slowly she barely felt like she was moving. When she finally reached the bed, she collapsed into the chair, her knees unable to stand any longer. _She's going to be okay. She's going to be okay. The doctor said she's going to be okay. _She kept thinking. Needed to force herself to believe it somehow. Emily bent forward and placed a light kiss on JJ's forehead. She kept her face there, not being able to stand being any further away from her wife. _God, this must have been how JJ felt after Doyle stabbed me. _Emily thought. The realization of what the blonde had gone through finally hitting her full force.

"Sweetheart, they say you're going to be fine." Emily whispered. "If you could maybe open your eyes for me? Show me that? I would be really grateful." Emily ran her fingers through JJ's hair, but the blonde didn't move. "I love you so much." She cried softly. Emily remained how she was, her body half laying on top of JJ's bed – an uncomfortable position – and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

><p>When Emily woke up she cringed. <em>Fuck.<em> She thought. _I definitely should have taken the bed the nurses offered. _She lifted her body up and groaned at the crick in her neck. Looking to the clock on the bedside table, it was around 11:30 in the morning. Emily was surprised she had slept that long. Now that she was fully awake, she remembered waking up more than once when the nurses came in and checked on JJ. She felt a stirring underneath her and turned her gaze to the blonde. JJ gripped her hand and opened her eyes.

"Jen!" Emily yelled. "DOCTOR! SHE'S AWAKE!"

The man from the previous night walked into the room and smiled at JJ. "Hello Jennifer, we've got some people who have been pretty eager to see you." He said with a smile. "Would you like me to remove the tube?" JJ nodded vigorously, then closed her eyes in pain. "Only if you promise not to do that again, you need to take it easy Mrs Prentiss." He bent over and clutched the tube. "This is going to be uncomfortable, I want you to take a deep breath in, then when I start pulling out, blow out as hard as you can." JJ gave a very tiny nod to acknowledge she understood. "One, two, three, blow hard Mrs Prentiss."

Emily rubbed JJ's shoulder as the blonde began coughing violently. "Hi." She murmured.

JJ rolled her head to the side and smiled at Emily, still coughing slightly, she opened her mouth and tried to talk.

"Its going to be uncomfortable to speak, take it slow, sip some water first." The doctor ordered. He handed JJ some water which she sipped gratefully and began checking her vitals. Sharing a look with Emily, he nodded. "You look good Mrs Prentiss. I'll give you two some time and be back to check on you later. Make sure she takes it easy." He directed towards Emily.

"Whe..." JJ coughed and tried again. "When can I go home?" She asked. Emily could tell it too great effort just to say that one sentence. The doctor's face fell a little and Emily felt JJ tense. "Our daughter is in DC, I need to go home." JJ insisted forcefully.

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, but definitely not for a few days. You're still to weak to be moved." Seeing the determined, angry look on JJ's face. "And that is not a challenge to push yourself, the more you rest, the quicker you will get home to your daughter." He added quickly. "You were seriously hurt Mrs Prentiss, you need to give your body the time it needs to heal."

JJ sighed and sunk back down into the bed, Emily rubbing her arm reassuringly. The doctor gave them a soft smile and headed out of the room. "You scared me." Emily whispered, sounding very childlike.

JJ rolled her head to meet her look and gave her a light smile. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely. She knew how it felt to be the one sitting by the bed, willing Emily to wake up after Doyle stabbed her. She had felt like her world had been shattered. "What happened? The guy hit me?Does Rach know?" JJ asked after a minute.

Emily ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "No, Garcia's with her, she knows though. And yeah, you threw yourself into him, he stabbed you with part of a fence, your tetanus shot has been updated FYI, and then he punched the crap out of you. Knocked you unconscious. Don't ever do that again by the way."

"Sorry." JJ chuckled, then her face grew somber. "Em...we have to be the ones to tell her."

"I know, I'll call her in a little bit."

A knock on the door caught both women's attention and they were greeted with a smiling Morgan, Reid and Rossi; Hotch speaking with the doctor behind them. "Well hey now Blondie, look who's awake." Morgan grinned. The men entered the room and surrounded the bed, JJ smiled lightly at them, clearly starting to get more groggy.

Reid hesitated, biting his lip and looking like a small child. JJ lifted her arm and waved him over. Reid grinned and bent down, kissing JJ lightly on the cheek.

"Hey, find your own woman Reid." Emily joked. JJ hit her lightly, then groaned in pain from the movement. "Take it easy Jayje." She ordered. "You should try to get some sleep."

"I don't want to." JJ pouted childishly. Emily could already see her wife's eyes fluttering and knew she was going to be out cold in a matter of minutes.

"Please?" She asked with a grin. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Morgan, Reid and Rossi slip out.

"Em...I want, you have to tell Rach..."

"I know Honey, I'll call." Emily ran her fingers through JJ's hair, she could tell it was making the blonde sleepy. Her head was nodding and her eyes kept closing.

"She's gonna be scared." JJ murmured.

"I know. I'll take care of it Honey, go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up." Emily promised. JJ finally let go and closed her eyes. Emily watched as she fell asleep, unable to take her eyes off her wife. She stayed there a while, too afraid that if she left the room something would go wrong. She felt someone watching her and looked up and met Hotch's gaze. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked with a sigh.

Hotch shrugged. "A few minutes. You haven't left this room in almost twenty-four hours. You need to eat, change you clothes, call Rachel."

"I don't know what to tell her that won't freak her out." Emily admitted.

Hotch sighed and waved Emily over. Reluctantly, she rose from the seat and winced at the stiffness in her legs. "She's going to be scared no matter what you say, just make sure she knows that JJ will be alright and start looking like you believe that as well." He said with a small smile.

"I just..." Emily trailed off.

"I know." Hotch said softly. "It'll be alright, we're all here for you."

"You guys should go home, the case is over."

"We're not going anywhere." Hotch insisted. "Make your call, I'll sit with her."

Emily nodded and walked down the hall, suddenly desperate for fresh air. She pulled her phone out and walked into the courtyard. It was 3:30, Rachel would be home from school. She waited painstakingly while the phone rang.

"Hello?" Garcia's voice greeted her. Emily could sense the worry in the technical analyst's tone.

"She's going to be alright Penelope." Emily said quickly.

"I know, Morgan told me but I...this is crazy hard. You're kid's super smart, she knows something's wrong and I don't know what to tell her."

"I know, can you put her on the phone?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, hang on a second."

Emily heard rustling on the other end of the line and then Rachel's tentative voice greeted her. She instantly felt better. "Mommy?" Rachel asked. Emily could tell she was worried. Crap, why did her kid have to be such a good observer? "Is everything okay? Auntie Pen is scared, I heard her crying in the bathroom. When are you and Momma coming home?"

Emily bit back some tears. "I know, I'm sorry about that. Um, the case is over, but...I don't think JJ and I will be home for a couple more days."

"Why not?" Rachel whined.

"Well sweetie, you remember how we told you that our jobs can be dangerous sometimes?"

Rachel nodded, then forgot that Emily couldn't see her. "Yeah. Like when you got stitches on your back."

"Right. Well, yesterday JJ got hurt by one of the bad guys, but she's going to be alright." Emily insisted quickly. "She has to stay in the hospital for a few days to get herself better, but she can't wait to see you." Emily listened to the silence on the other end of the line; and then her heart broke as she heard Rachel begin to whimper. The whimpering turned into cries and Emily felt like she was wholly unprepared for this kind of situation. "Rachel, I promise she is going to be alright. I would never lie to you about something like this."

"I want to see her." Rachel cried.

"I know sweetie but we're in Maine and she has to stay here and rest to get better."

"I want Momma!" Rachel yelled. Emily winced and pulled the phone away from her ear. "I WANT MOMMA! I WANT YOU! I WANT MOMMA!"

"Rachel..." Emily began, trying to remain calm herself.

"She's sort of having the world's biggest temper tantrum." Garcia said as she took the phone from where Rachel had thrown it. "What do you want me to do?"

Emily could hear Rachel screaming, and from the sound of things, kicking whatever was in her path as well. Emily walked back into the hospital feeling incredibly dejected. She caught sight of Hotch and saw that JJ was awake again. The blonde beamed at the sight of Emily. "Garcia, is...can you try to get her back on the phone?" Emily asked, wincing as she heard her daughter's screams and cries in the background. The broken look on JJ's face as she realized what was happening only made her feel even worse.

"Let me talk to her." JJ said quickly.

"Jen..."

"Let me talk to her." JJ repeated icily. Emily licked her lips and asked Garcia to tell Rachel that JJ wanted to talk to her. Hearing the crying, she could tell it wasn't working. "Just put it on speaker Pen." JJ said.

"Okay, its all set." Garcia informed them. Emily handed the phone over to JJ while Hotch stood up and left the room to give them some privacy.

"Rachel." JJ said calmly. There was no answer besides continual yelling coming from Rachel. "Rachel Anne Prentiss, you calm down right now." JJ said forcefully. The crying stopped and dropped back down to whimpering before they heard a large sniffle.

"I don't have a middle name." Rachel grumbled through her tears.

"You do now, and its the same as mine, so take a deep breath and listen to me." JJ said. Emily lowered herself back down into the seat and took JJ's hand. "Are you calm?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded again, forgetting JJ couldn't see her and climbed onto Garcia's lap.

Garcia wrapped her arms around the little girl and kissed her head. "She nodded." She explained.

"Okay, Rachel, I'm going to be fine I promise. I'll be home before you know it."

"I want you now Momma." Rachel whined. The pain in her voice cut through both women like a knife. They shared a look and Emily sighed. Rising, she walked out of JJ's room and found her doctor.

"Sir, how long exactly is JJ going to have to stay here?" She asked.

"A week at the very least I'm afraid."

"Would it make it harder for her if we brought our daughter up here?"

The doctor smiled – as did Hotch, who was standing behind him. "No, it will probably make her feel more relaxed and speed up her recovery." He said. He had children of his own, he knew how worried the blonde would get and that wasn't helpful to anyone.

"Thank you." Emily said, quickly turning and walking back to JJ's room. "The doctor said she might make you heal faster." She whispered to JJ.

The look of relief on JJ's face made Emily feel so much better. "Rach, how about if you and Garcia come up here and stay with us until I can come home?"

"Really?" Rachel whispered hopefully.

"Yeah."

"And she's off." Garcia stated.

"Huh?" Emily asked.

"She has run up the stairs and she is packing a bag. I'm going to book a flight now before she has another tantrum. Your kid is adorable and I love her, but you can have the sullen girl all to yourself, give her back to me when she's happy and twirling and doing backflips."

Emily snorted. "Thanks Garcia. Wait, backflips?"

"Oh yeah, we filmed it, I'll email it to you in a few. Jayje? Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Ah, she's already packed. Geez, I'll see you guys soon." Garcia clicked off and left Emily and JJ with silence. Emily could tell this had taken way too much out of JJ. She reached over and gently pulled the phone out of her wife's hands.

"Sleep Jen." She ordered softly.

"No! I want to..."

Emily cut her off. "Knowing Garcia, she has done some technical hacking thingy and is going to be on a plane within minutes, which means they will be here in a matter of hours. Rachel is going to want to see you awake. Sleep now so your not too tired. You need to rest Jen, its the only way you'll get better."

JJ sighed and Emily knew she had won. "Fine. You wake me up the second she gets here."

"I will." Emily whispered, trying not to smile as JJ's eyes fluttered closed.

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss."

"I _promise_." Emily repeated. "Go to sleep." Emily remained where she was, watching over JJ until she was sure that she was asleep. Hotch had brought her go-bag and Emily took it into the adjoining bathroom. Stripping off her clothes, she washed her body with a small washcloth and changed into clean clothes; brushed her teeth, splashed her face with water and packed her things back up. When she went back into the room, JJ was still there, still fine, still asleep and Emily was greeted with a sandwich and a large cup of coffee. Turning to her right, she smirked at Morgan and Reid, making themselves comfortable in the empty chairs. Morgan pointed to the empty bed that had been pulled up next to JJ's. "Eat that sandwich then lay your ass down on that bed and get some sleep." He ordered. "You look worse than JJ and she has an excuse. You're gonna freak Freckles out when she gets here."

"Morgan I..."

"It wasn't a suggestion. Hotch gave us permission to strap you down if necessary."

Emily glared at both of them, but moved over and dug into the sandwich, realizing how hungry she was. "Where is he anyway?"

"Booking a flight. He's gonna pick up Garcia and Rachel, bring them here, then head home to get Jack. He's already talked – and threatened I think – the entire medical staff to call him with updates every day. Everything you can imagine is set up. Reid, Rossi and I extended our hotel rooms, cancelled yours and the jet is staying here to take us all home when JJ can make the trip."

"You guys don't have to stay here..."

Reid cut her off. "Shut up and go to sleep."

Emily stared at him in awe, even Morgan looked impressed. "Fine." She grumbled and lay down on the bed. _Holy shit. _She thought. _I am so tired. And taking orders from Reid? _She closed her eyes and finally succumbed to sleep, her hand clasped in JJ's.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks for all your reviews:) It pained me to hurt JJ, but we needed a little drama. Heads up, this is going to take a bit of a toll on our little family in the next few chapters. Also, I have no intentions of stopping this story anytime soon. I promise, I'll give you a heads up when I do. **

Emily woke up feeling like she had barely slept at all. She'd had nightmares like never before. It had been all of her horrors combined into one. Doyle, Frankie escaping and hurting Rachel, JJ bloody and on the ground, Rachel crying over her body for hours, and all of it Emily unable to stop. She woke up multiple times, thankfully, JJ remained asleep. Probably more to do with the pain medication and being exhausted than anything else. She felt something move and rolled her head to the side, met with a smiling JJ. "Hey." The blonde whispered softly. Her hand gripped Emily's. Emily quickly took in the blonde's appearance, she looked more rested than she had a few hours ago, but her face definitely showed signs of pain. She was clearly trying to cover up the fact.

"I'm getting you more pain medication." Emily said immediately.

"No." JJ pulled Emily's arm and refused to let her get up. They were alone in the room, Emily didn't know – or really care at the moment – where Morgan and Reid had gone. "I'm okay." She insisted.

"No you're not." Emily sat up and walked out of the room, finding a nurse and letting her know. As she headed back into the room, she was met with a death glare from her wife. "JJ, you have to take the meds, you had surgery, you were stabbed, you need to get better."

"I will. But you can't treat me like a baby."

"I can too." Emily pouted. JJ just laughed, then cringed and clutched her stomach. "Shit! Jen!" Emily ran over and rubbed her back, looking up gratefully as a nurse walked in and gave her some new medication. "You've got to be careful."

"You made me laugh!" JJ chastised.

Emily grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

The nurse left and JJ smirked at Emily. "Come here." She ordered. Emily raised her eyebrows in confusion and JJ pulled her forward. "This bed is big enough for both of us." Emily hesitated, afraid she would hurt JJ. The blonde frowned at her. "Em, please?" She asked in a small voice. "Just stay on my right side." Emily moved over and very gingerly crawled onto the right side of the hospital bed. Truthfully, all she had wanted to do since JJ got hurt the day before was hold her. JJ happily pressed her body into Emily's and sighed. "I love you." She whispered.

"I know." Emily laughed.

"Just making sure. Are you okay?"

"Jen, you're the one who just got out of surgery. Why are you asking about me?"

"Because somehow, you look more tired than I do. I heard you having nightmares. I'm okay."

Emily sighed. "I know its just...you really scared me."

"I know the feeling Em." JJ whispered. "If you do recall, I had to watch as you went into a murder's house alone, only for you to get hit in the head with a two by four, listen in while you were beat up by a cult leader, know you were being tortured by an irish mobster, watch you literally die, see you so broken it killed me and then tell everyone I loved that you were actually dead. In this situation, I win."

"Win? This is a winning situation?" Emily scoffed.

"Not really." JJ laughed. "But you know what I mean."

"So because you've gone through this before I can't be worried?"

"No, of course not. I just know what you're feeling is all. Don't bottle it up, if I see you compartmentalizing, I reserve the right to punch you."

"Fair enough." Emily laughed. The two of them remained silent, holding each other until they fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>"Do you see them?" Morgan asked Reid as he took a huge bite of a taco.<p>

"No, Hotch said there was a lot of traffic coming from the airport."

"Yeah but that was like an hour ago." Morgan complained. Reid just frowned at him. Rossi had left and gone to the hospital to check on JJ and Emily while Hotch picked up Garcia and Rachel. Morgan and Reid had been given the task of setting Garcia up with a hotel room and ordering food for everyone. Morgan was growing antsy. Reid was ignoring him and reading a russian novel. Morgan tapped his foot in annoyance and took another huge bite. His face lit up as he looked to the hotel entrance. Hotch walked in, bags holding him down while Garcia tried to keep up with an incredibly speedy Rachel. "Hey, Pretty Boy, they're here."

Rachel sprinted and threw herself onto Morgan. "I want to see Momma." She moaned as she clutched him.

"I've seen her Freckles, she's alright, I promise." Morgan said reassuringly. Rachel whimpered and yanked at him, wordlessly begging him to stand up. He rose – Rachel still his arms – and hugged Garcia. Hotch nodded to both of them and got Reid to help him with the bags. The two of them carried Garcia's mounds of stuff up to her room while Morgan took the two distraught girls to the hospital. Rachel refused to be let down from Morgan's arms. In an effort to cheer her up, he teased her. "Hey Freckles, I thought you were plotting my doom, what's with the loving?"

"We're in a temporary truce." Rachel said as she dropped her head to his neck. "Temporary." She repeated menacingly.

"Good to know." Morgan laughed, looking to Garcia. The blonde barely smiled back, still worried about her best friend. Morgan stopped in the hall JJ's room was in. He didn't want to bring Rachel in and catch JJ and Emily off guard. "Hey Baby Girl, why don't you head in first and tell them she's here." He whispered. Garcia nodded and walked forward.

"I want to go in!" Rachel whined.

"You will, hang on a minute."

"No!" Rachel yelled.

"Hey now Freckles, no need to get mean about it. Let Garcia go in, then we will." Morgan said calmly. Rachel pouted and slammed her head into his chest, but quieted down.

Garcia walked up to the door hesitantly. She knocked softly and smiled at the sight of her two favorite ladies cuddling in bed. "Hi." She said softly. "There is someone pretty eager to see you guys. Other than me of course." She stepped forward as Emily gently crawled out of the bed. Emily hugged her lightly, then walked past the blonde, shooting a look to JJ, and walking out into the hallway to get Rachel. Garcia moved over to JJ, tears in her eyes, and hugged her friend. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She yelled. "Do you have any idea how horrible it was to lie to your kid while you were in surgery?"

"I'm so sorry Pen. But thank you for taking care of her."

"Anytime." Garcia said with a smile. "Well, you know actually don't ever do it again, but you...you know what I mean."

JJ laughed. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Emily stepped out into the hall and saw Rachel in Morgan's arms. She didn't even realize she had been worried about the little girl until she felt relief as she saw her. God, she needed to get her nightmares in check. Emily began walking slowly down the hall and Rachel looked up, seeing Emily. She lunged off of Morgan and sprinted down the hall faster than Emily could even blink.

"MOMMY!" Rachel threw herself into Emily, wrapped her legs and arms around the brunette with surprising force for a seven year old and began to cry.

Emily held her tightly and rubbed her back. Rocking her slightly, she glanced at Morgan gratefully as he past her and went into JJ's room. "Sweetie, you're okay, I'm okay, JJ's okay, I promise." Emily knew that if she brought Rachel into JJ's room while she was crying, it would break the blonde and not help anyone. She was determined to get her to calm down if she could. "Rach, I need you to do me a favor okay?"

"What?" Rachel mumbled through her tears.

"You and me have to take care of JJ for a while. She's supposed to take it really easy, you can't run up and hug her, you can't be rough with her. Her left side is really sore, you can't touch it okay?" Emily looked as Rachel pulled back slightly and listened intently to Emily's instructions. The little girl nodded while Emily wiped away some of her tears. "We have to be quiet and calm so JJ can get her rest. Can you help me with that?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl." Emily kissed her nose and Rachel clutched her tightly again. "You ready to go in now?" She asked. Rachel nodded. "Okay, she has got an IV in her arm, and a big bandage on her left side, she looks a little different than you're used to, like she's been sick for a while okay?"

"Okay." Rachel whispered.

Emily walked back to JJ's room, Rachel in her arms and stood in the doorway. As soon as JJ saw Rachel, her face lit up and she instantly looked twice as healthy. It would be freaky if it wasn't so sweet. "Hi Baby." JJ said happily, holding her arms out for her. Rachel stared at her mother, terrified and unsure. She didn't like this at all. Rachel dropped her face into Emily's neck refusing to look back at JJ. Emily watched her wife's face fall and it broke her heart. Morgan pulled Garcia up and out to the hall.

"We'll be at the hotel, come check on you guys later?" He assured Emily.

"Thanks guys." Emily turned back to JJ and carried Rachel forward. Rachel clutched Emily tightly and jammed her head further into Emily, whimpering slightly. Emily rubbed her back. "Rach, its JJ like I said, she's just a little hurt." Emily sat down in the bedside chair, shifting Rachel to her lap.

"No Mommy." Rachel pleaded as Emily tried to move her towards JJ.

"Baby, look at me." JJ ordered gently. Rachel hesitated, then snuck a glance at JJ. "I'm okay." She said firmly. "Look, ten fingers, ten toes and desperately needing a kiss from a little girl named Rachel."

Rachel lifted her head all the way up – still clinging tightly to Emily – and looked at her mother. "You won't die?" She whispered.

"Not anytime soon if I have anything to say about it." Emily joked.

JJ smiled. "No Baby, I'm gonna be fine."

"Can I hug you?" Rachel whispered.

"I think I'll cry if you don't." JJ said with a bright smile. Rachel hesitantly moved forward, still sitting on Emily's lap, but leaning over the bed. She reached her fingers up and ran her pointer finger over JJ's face, tracing her cuts lightly. She took her time inspecting JJ, taking in the IV, the cuts, the bruises and the wound in her side. JJ sat still, waiting patiently even though all she wanted was to wrap her arms around Rachel. When she appeared to be finished, Rachel locked eyes with her mother. "I'm alright." JJ repeated.

"Momma." Rachel moaned as she quickly – but very gently for a seven year old – climbed off of Emily's lap and onto the bed. Clinging to JJ's right side she began to cry again.

JJ held Rachel as tightly as she could despite her injuries and tried very hard not to cry herself. She needed to keep up the appearance that she was fine, or Rachel would worry. She knew that she couldn't fool Emily. "I'm alright." She repeated. Emily leaned back into her chair with a sigh, this was draining her.

Rachel quieted down after a few moments, and stayed where she was, on the bed with JJ. A nurse came in to adjust her medication and Rachel closed her eyes when she saw her pull out the needle. "Its just going into the IV, not me. I can't even feel it." JJ explained to her.

"These are going to make you drowsy Agent Jareau." The nurse warned her.

"Yay." JJ mumbled sarcastically.

It was late, this day had both flown by and dragged on and Emily was beyond exhausted. A knock on the door caught her attention and Hotch looked at them with a smile, bags of food in his hands. "I brought dinner. I wanted to say goodbye and see if you need anything else before I leave."

"Thanks Hotch." Emily rose and took the bags, grateful that her friends kept feeding them, she continually forgot to eat.

Hotch moved over by JJ who – thanks to the medication – was almost half asleep. "Get better JJ, I'll see you soon."

"Thanks Hotch." JJ murmured, her eyes fluttering open and closed.

Hotch bent down and whispered something into Rachel's ear before kissing her goodbye. "Call me if you need anything." He insisted again before leaving.

"We will, go home, hug Jack, tell him we said hi." Emily moved forward and gave Hotch a hug as he left, then went back to her seat. JJ could eat, but only certain foods. As she pulled everything out, she grinned to herself, Hotch had made sure it was all things JJ had been cleared to eat. That man took care of everyone. Emily considered herself incredibly lucky to have him as a colleague and friend. Rachel sat up in the bed and took the sandwich Emily offered her, barely nibbling at it. "You gotta eat something Rach, this is dinner." Emily said softly.

Rachel offered JJ part of her sandwich, but the blonde could only take one bite. Emily and Rachel watched as she leaned back and fell asleep. "Why'd she do that?" Rachel asked fearfully.

"Remember, the medication makes her really tired, its good for her to sleep." Emily explained. Rachel looked at JJ warily. Listening to the sound of the monitors next to the bed.

"But she just fell asleep while we were talking." Rachel stated worriedly.

"I know, that might keep happening, its nothing to worry about." Emily said with a sigh. "Come here, let's let her sleep." The brunette motioned for Rachel to get off the bed. Rachel glanced down at JJ, as if she were afraid she would disappear if Rachel wasn't holding onto her. Emily knew the feeling; as irrational as it was, in a way she felt the same. Rachel let out a sigh, then slipped off of the bed, and back onto Emily's lap.

"I don't like this." She whispered into Emily's chest.

"Me either kiddo." Emily kissed the top of her head. "Me either. Come on, lets eat a little more."

"I'm not hungry."

Emily sighed. Truthfully, she didn't have an appetite either but she knew it had been hours since she last ate and that she needed to make sure Rachel did. With JJ hurt, she was going to have to take care of them both. "Just eat a few more bites for me okay?" She asked, gently moving Rachel's hair out of her face. Rachel grumbled out a 'fine' and took three small bites before pushing the sandwich away. "You tired?" Emily asked. Rachel nodded. "I'll call Garcia or Morgan, have them come pick you up and take you back to the hotel." Emily reached for the phone and Rachel screamed.

"NO! MOMMY! NO!" Rachel grabbed Emily's phone from her and threw it on the ground.

"Rachel!" Emily scolded.

"I want to stay here, with you and Momma." Rachel whined.

"Well then say it nicely. Don't yell and throw my things, you know better than that."

"I'm sorry." Rachel clung to Emily tightly. "Please let me stay with you." She begged.

Emily sighed. She knew it would only add more stress and worry if Rachel was at the hotel, for herself and JJ. Rachel needed to be here just as much as she did. "Okay." Emily resigned. "Come on, you can sleep on this bed with me." Emily lifted Rachel up and plopped her down onto the empty hospital bed the nurses had brought in for her. Emily set the food away and turned to look at her wife. JJ didn't look like she was in any pain right now. Emily bent down and placed a light kiss on her lips. "Goodnight Jen." She whispered.

"Mommy." Rachel called softly. Emily turned back to Rachel, she was already deep in the covers and half asleep. Emily internally groaned. _Shit._ She should have made Rachel brush her teeth and go to the bathroom. She didn't have the heart to pull Rachel out of bed right now. Emily herself was dead on her feet. She climbed into the bed – both of them still in their clothes – and wrapped Rachel tightly into her arms; both of them facing towards JJ. "Mommy?" Rachel whispered moments later, after Emily had thought she had fallen asleep.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"I got into a fight at school the day you left for this case. I beat up a boy named Jason who picks on Tommy. He gives him wedgies and swirlies and called him a homo cause he has two dads. I beat him up until he said sorry, I lied to you."

Emily turned Rachel towards her. Rachel tried very hard not to meet her mother's eye. Emily had a feeling Rachel had been lying about something, but with everything that had happened she had forgotten about it. "Thank you for telling me." She said with a smile "We'll talk about it later okay?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"Not right now, but we'll talk about it later, you're not of the hook kiddo."

"Okay." Rachel curled into Emily and kept her gaze on JJ. Emily whispered a french song to Rachel to lure her to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Snake Eyes tonight! Who's excited? This one's a little short, but I'm on overnights for work all this week and part of next and I have a lot of time to write during those usually, so I should have another chapter up by either late tonight or early tomorrow morning:) Hope you enjoy, as usual your comments make my day.**

Rachel woke up hearing a whimpering noise and it terrified her. She wasn't sure where she was, but the arms that were wrapped around her felt safe and familiar. She looked up and saw JJ laying in the hospital bed, sound asleep and remembered what had happened. Her nerves increasing at the sight of her mother and her insight to where she was, she shifted her body to look behind her. Emily was clutching Rachel's stomach tightly and crying, Rachel realized her mother was having a nightmare. Afraid, she quickly tried to squirm out of Emily's grasp, but her grip only tightening.

"No!" Emily cried out. "You can't hurt her!"

Rachel pried her hands free and brought them up to Emily's face, shooting a glance back at JJ, she saw that her mother was still sound asleep. She was about to wake her, but remembered Emily explaining about the medicine JJ was taking made her sleep more. Rachel turned back to Emily, determined to wake the brunette and take care of her all by herself.

"Mommy, wake up!" Rachel whispered loudly; trying to wake one mother and keep the other asleep. The sound of her voice only seemed to bring more worry to Emily and she tightened her grip. "Mommy, its not real." Rachel insisted. "Wake up! Mommy, you're hugging me too tight! I'm right here! You're okay!" Rachel tried to push her body away from her mother's so she could sit her up, but Emily was clinging to her for dear life. "Mommy." Rachel whimpered. "Please wake up, you're scaring me." Rachel looked to JJ for help, but the blonde was still out cold. "Mommy!" Rachel yelled slightly. Rachel heard footsteps and looked up thankfully as Morgan's face appeared in the doorway. "Morgan!" Rachel yelled in relief. "She's having a nightmare, she won't let me go it hurts! I can't wake her up!"

Morgan ran forward and quickly bent over the two brunettes. "Hey now, come on Princess, its just a dream. Come on now, wake up." He said softly. When Morgan reached down to pull Emily's arms away from Rachel, the brunette screamed, jolting JJ awake.

"DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!" Emily yelled, still trapped in her nightmare.

"Mommy! You're hurting me!"

"Emily, wake up, its Derek. You're in the hospital, everyone is fine, open your eyes, come on now."

Emily seemed to be beginning to wake, but she was still gripping Rachel tightly as she fought against her mother. JJ woke up in pain, but assessed the situation and realized what was going on. When Emily did have nightmares, JJ was usually the only one who could get her out of these bad ones. "Em." She said in a loud, clear, gentle voice. "Wake up, you're alright." JJ sat herself up, wincing at the pain in her side, but too focused on waking up her wife. "Emily, I'm perfectly fine and Rachel is too, wake up honey."

At the sound of JJ's voice, Emily began to pull herself out of her nightmare. As she began to come to, she saw Morgan hovering over her worriedly, and Rachel trying to get away from her. Emily instantly lessened her grip and watched heartbroken as Rachel all but leapt away from Emily and into Morgan's arms. "I...I'm sorry." Emily panted. She caught eyes with JJ as she sat up and quickly tried to get her bearings straight and her emotions in check.

"Em, its fine." JJ insisted quickly, holding her arms out to her wife. Emily took her hand and ran her fingers through her sweat soaked hair. She couldn't remember her nightmare anymore, just the feeling of absolute terror and trying to save Rachel and JJ.

"No sweat Prentiss, happens to all of us." Morgan said gently.

Emily gave him a sharp nod and looked at Rachel. Her daughter was clinging to Morgan, refusing to look at Emily and trying to get her body as far away from the brunette as she possibly could. _Shit._ She had terrified her daughter at possibly the worst time ever. Rachel was already upset over JJ being hurt and she had only added to that. "Rach..." Emily leaned over and tried to get her daughter's attention. Rachel instantly pulled away and pushed herself further into Morgan. "I'm sorry I scarred you sweetie."

"Okay." Rachel mumbled into Morgan's chest, but she still didn't look up at her. Emily sighed and felt JJ rub her back. Needing to do something, Emily turned her attention to her wife and decided to give her daughter a few moments.

"Are you alright?" Emily whispered, seeing the pain in JJ's eyes.

"Are you?" She asked back with a light laugh. Emily noticed JJ clutch her side.

"I'm getting a nurse." She stood up before JJ could protest, and from the look on the blonde's face, she probably wouldn't have anyway. Emily stepped into the hall and was hit with the harsh light that had blessedly not been in the dark hospital room. Blinking to adjust her eyes she stumbled into a nurse. "Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss, um...I think my wife's medication is wearing off."

"Jennifer Prentiss right? The agent?" Emily nodded. "I'll be right in."

"Thank you." Emily walked down the hall to find a restroom. There was one adjoining JJ's room but Emily couldn't go in there right now. She was infuriated with herself that she had scared Rachel like that. More so that Morgan and Rachel had seen her so weak and unable to cope. Having nightmares was one thing, everyone on the job got them once in a while, it was just something they had to deal with. Emily's had definitely increased before and after everything with Doyle, but they had mostly gone away until tonight. Morgan was one thing, it pissed her off, but not to the extent that she would dwell on it. Rachel however, scaring Rachel like that could so easily break down all of the trust that had been built over the last few months.

Emily entered the nearest bathroom and immediately went to splash cold water on her face. She felt like she hadn't slept in years despite having just woken up from approximately seven hours of sleep. She stood and stared at herself in the mirror until she felt her expression didn't look like she was about to break down. She knew that she was reverting to compartmentalizing, to shutting down, JJ would be upset, but she simply couldn't deal right now. Emily took a deep breath and exited the bathroom, walking down the hall and back to JJ's room. From the drowsy look on JJ's face she knew the nurse had come in an adjusted her medication. Rachel was still in Morgan's lap though not clutching him in fright as she had before. She was talking calmly with JJ, showing her a drawing she must have done. JJ looked up as Emily walked in and beamed at her, then instantly frowned. Emily did her best to ignore the piercing look JJ was giving her and went to sit on the opposite side of the bed from Rachel and Morgan. Rachel glanced warily at her and Emily tried not to let it show how much it hurt to see Rachel shift herself closer to Morgan and away from Emily. Morgan shot Emily an apologetic look and kept joking with JJ about the picture in Rachel's hand; trying to keep things light.

"Em..." JJ whispered, grabbing her wife's hand.

"I'm fine, how's the pain." Emily deflected.

JJ sighed. She had seen it the second Emily walked into the room despite all the drugs currently working their way into her system. Her fucking compartmentalizing was back. JJ was sick of it. Sick of her shutting down, hiding, lying, and running away. They had only just gotten back to normal after Doyle, she was not going to let this shit start up again. Especially not now since they had Rachel. "I'm fine Emily." She answered sharply.

Rachel looked at her mother, confused at her tone of voice. She had never heard her parents fight, never heard them sound even annoyed with each other. They had worked very hard not to let her see any arguments – as little as they came – they still didn't want to subject Rachel to it. Emily saw the worry etch onto Rachel's face and quickly grabbed JJ's hand, giving her a smile. "Good, I'm alright too." From the look on JJ's face she wasn't buying it, but was letting it go for now. "What have you got Rach?" Emily asked, turning her attention to her daughter. Rachel wouldn't meet Emily's eyes – keeping her gaze at Emily's torso – she handed over the drawing. It was of Emily, JJ, and Rachel in their blanket fort. "This is really good sweetie!" Emily stated proudly. She put it up on display next to JJ's bed.

"Thanks." Rachel mumbled. She dropped her head back into Morgan's chest and rubbed her stomach. Emily licked her lips and began taping her foot nervously.

"Hey, how 'bout I grab you guys some breakfast? Coffee?" Morgan asked.

"That's mean Derek." JJ moaned. "I can't have coffee yet."

Morgan snorted. "Doesn't meant he rest of us have to suffer with you." He joked as he lifted Rachel off his lap and stood up.

"Does too!" Rachel insisted. "Solidarity."

Morgan glanced back and forth between JJ and Emily, an amused and shocked look on his face. "How old are you again?"

"Seven." Rachel stated angrily as she brought her hands to her hips and gave him her best JJ glare. Clearly very annoyed that he didn't appear to be aware of her age. His prank was most definitely going to be much worse now.

This action only caused Morgan – and Emily and JJ – to break out into laughter. "That is freaky JJ. She looks just like you." He laughed. JJ beamed. "None of the seven year olds I know know what the word solidarity means." He said as he reached forward and tickled Rachel's stomach. She cried out in pain and pushed him away roughly. Emily's face froze with horror. "Hey, sorry." Morgan said worriedly.

"Baby let me see your stomach." JJ ordered quickly. Emily looked like she was about to throw up.

"No." Rachel said firmly. She walked away from all of them and into the adjoining bathroom and slammed the door.

Emily immediately dropped her head into her hands and began to cry. "I hurt her." She moaned. JJ began stroking Emily's hair while Morgan went to knock on the door and try to get Rachel to come out.

"No Em, she's probably fine. It was an accident."

"JJ I _hurt_ her." Emily said in such a fearful voice that JJ began to cry as well.

"You don't know that Em." JJ looked up to Morgan who was having no luck and feeling very much like he should give them privacy. "Morgan, that coffee sounds great." She said with a tight smile. He nodded and left the room. "Rachel?" JJ called out loudly. "Come out here now please."

"NO!"

"Rachel Anne Prentiss, you come out here right now."

Rachel knew what that tone of voice mixed with her new full name meant. She huffed and kicked the bottom of the sink in frustration then opened the bathroom door. "What?" She muttered angrily, crossing her arms and looking to the floor.

"Come over here and let me see your stomach please."

Rachel kept a full on pout on her face but complied with her mother. She lifted her shirt to reveal some small bruises forming on her stomach. When Emily saw them, she moaned a pitiful cry and dropped her head into JJ's sheets, her body raking with sobs. Rachel was almost more terrified at this reaction than what had happened earlier. "Momma! Make her stop!" She ordered fearfully.

"Emily it was an accident, Rachel knows that." JJ insisted and looking to her daughter, she could tell that Rachel did understand. She was an extremely perceptive little girl. Yes, she had been afraid and annoyed earlier, but seeing how much it hurt her mother that she was hurt, Rachel knew not to be scared. Rachel lowered her shirt and stepped closer to Emily. It didn't hurt as much as she had made it out to be, she wanted Emily to feel bad in that moment; to punish her in a way for scaring her like that. Now though, seeing Emily like this, Rachel instantly wanted to take it all back.

Rachel wrapped herself around Emily's hunched back and held her tightly. "Mommy, I'm really not hurt I promise." She whispered. "I'm sorry."

Emily rose, pulling Rachel onto her lap, tears still in her eyes. "Rachel, _I'm _sorry. I'm so, so, sorry."

Rachel reached up and brushed away Emily's tears. "It really doesn't hurt Mommy. I know you just had a nightmare like me. I'm sorry I got mad. I love you." Emily's breath hitched. It was the first time Rachel had said it to their faces – having not seen the video recording of her flip yet – Emily and JJ were floored. Rachel beamed at her mother's reaction and pulled her in and gave her a quick peck on the lips. She then turned away from Emily and smiled at JJ. "I love you too for the record." JJ was in mid laughter as Rachel gave her a kiss as well. "Did Auntie Pen show you our video?"

Still a bit shocked, at the turn of events Emily and JJ shared a look before Emily shook her head no. "What video baby?" JJ asked.

"Of my backflip!" Rachel announced. She leapt off of the bed and assessed the amount of room she had before either woman realized what she was doing; she positioned herself, smirked at her parents, and flung herself into the air backwards.

"RACHEL!" Emily yelled worriedly as she narrowly missed hitting her feet on the back of a chair. JJ's monitors increased and Emily looked at her as if she was afraid something might explode.

"Awesome huh?" Rachel asked proudly. Her mothers could only stare at her in shock.


	32. Chapter 32

_ "The irony of love is that it guarantees some degree of fear, anger and criticism." _

_Harold. H. Bloomfield_

Morgan came back about half an hour latter with breakfast, Reid, Garcia and Rossi in tow. Emily and Rachel dug into the food happily. Even JJ seemed a little relieved to eat something other than jello; though she kept eyeing their coffee longingly. Rachel kept looking over at Emily every few seconds to make sure her mother was alright, Emily knew this and was doing her very best to appear alright. Rachel had taken her spot on the bed next to JJ's right side and decided not to leave until JJ could. When she thought Emily or the team wasn't looking, she tried to sneak JJ sips of coffee.

"Rachel!" Emily laughed as she caught her daughter's third attempt.

"I did not tell her to." JJ said quickly, causing everyone to laugh.

"Selling out your own kid Jayje?" Garcia joked. Rachel pouted and JJ gave her a kiss while Emily took the coffee away. The group pulled out some cards and Reid and Rossi decided to teach Rachel how to play poker. She wasn't very good at it, but she paid close attention and was determined to get it eventually. Emily smirked at JJ at the notion of their daughter gambling and simply shook her head. Hopefully, she'd never get the hang of it. They spent the rest of the day watching movies, talking, joking, playing board games, card games and simply enjoying each other's company. JJ fell asleep a couple of times, even though she tried very hard not to. Her attention had been focused solely on her wife, knowing she was not alright. As the day wore on, JJ woke up in time for lunch and Garcia and JJ joked about this and that while Morgan and Emily sat silently sipping their coffees in the corner.

"You wanna talk about it?" Morgan asked, almost sure he would receive a no.

"Not really."

"Its not as big a deal as your making it out to be Emily."

Emily glared at him. "I hurt my kid Derek. Something I promised never to do, to me it is a very big deal."

Morgan sipped his coffee silently for a moment, then took a risk he knew he might regret later. "Prentiss and I are going for a walk, we'll be back by dinner." He announced. Before Emily had the chance to protest, he snatched her hand and hauled her out of the room.

"Derek! I'm not leaving, JJ needs..."

Morgan cut her off. "JJ is fine Emily. She was hurt yeah, but she's fine, better than fine, she's good except for worrying about you when she should be relaxed and trying to heal her body. You are the one who's not good. So we're gonna take a walk, Garcia, Reid and Rossi are all in there, they are capable adults and can make sure JJ gets anything she needs; which really is just company."

"Derek..."

"No, come on, we're going to a gym and your gonna punch the shit out of a bag, then chill out, take a shower cause really you're starting to smell a little." He smirked and Emily punched him, smiling herself despite her frustration. "And then we'll go back to your family. They're both okay Prentiss, nightmares are just that, nightmares. Yeah, JJ's gonna be sore for a while, but she is gonna be back to perfectly healthy and happy if you chill out. I know you're protective, its one of your best qualities but also your worst. You take it too far Prentiss, you bottle it all up and don't take care of yourself. You're supposed to put the mask on yourself before you help anyone else."

"I just...Derek, I was so scared when she was laying there. I know she's alright now, but I keep seeing her laying on the ground and bleeding when I close my eyes. And Rachel...she was afraid of me. I...I made my daughter afraid of me, how can I just forget that?"

"Because she did." Morgan said simply.

"What?" Emily asked as they climbed into the car. Morgan drove to where he had seen a gym a few blocks away.

"Princess, she's not looking at you like she's afraid. She was joking with you, and laughing and she hugged you three times that I saw. She's over it, so you need to follow her example. If she was still freaking out, then you would be allowed to too. She's smart Prentiss, she knows it was an accident, she knows you love her." Morgan lowered his voice and pulled into the parking lot, cutting the engine. "She knows you're not Frankie."

Emily stared straight ahead, unable to look at Morgan. He had voiced the fear that she had been trying to hard to squelch since Rachel pushed her away terrified. She didn't respond, she couldn't, she climbed out of the car and walked briskly into the gym, hearing Morgan follow behind her. He seemed to know that there was nothing else to be said. Emily needed to just work it out on her own at this point. He held her punching bag and grunted as she attacked it with such ferocity that she almost knocked him over once or twice. Morgan remained silent and took it, not bothering to cut her off until he saw blood seeping through her wrapped knuckles. Emily sighed deeply and allowed Morgan to stop her. She told him she was going to the bathroom to wash up, she would meet him outside in a bit. Morgan gave her a tight nod and hit the showers himself.

Emily panted as she walked into the showers. Morgan had slipped her go-bag into his car when she wasn't looking and she pulled out her shampoo. Stepping into the bathroom, she turned the water on as hot as she could stand it, then pealed off her sweaty clothes. The bandages stung her hands as she unwrapped them. _Shit._ She thought. She really did a number on them. Emily stepped into the hot water and let out a groan. Morgan had been right about everything, and she knew that she was about to break down seconds before it happened. She let the water cascade over her body and let out the sobs she had been trying to hold back. This was ten times worse than when she cried in the hospital. She let it all out. Her frustrations about Doyle, Frankie, JJ being hurt, losing seven months of her life – because it did feel like lost time, like a part of her had really been dead – the anger at finding out about Rachel's life, seeing Rachel on edge around Emily and JJ when they first met, the horrible, terrified feeling in the pit of her stomach when Rachel ran away, and finally the bruises and the look on Rachel's face as she tried desperately to get away from Emily. By the time she had finally calmed down, the water was almost freezing. She quickly rubbed the shampoo through her hair, rinsed it out and jumped out of the cold water. She had been standing there crying for forty minutes. _Shit._ She wrapped her hair in a towel and dressed herself quickly, throwing her things back into her bag.

Her knuckles were no longer bleeding, but she knew she would need to bandage them. She walked out of the showers and saw Morgan; patiently sitting on a bench in front of the gym, a cup of coffee in his hand, and gauze in his lap. He nodded a greeting and motioned for Emily to sit down. The shower had helped, but he could tell her eyes were a little red. He didn't mention it, he figured, he had hoped she would just get it out because then she would move past it. Emily Prentiss only let herself break down in private, he felt pretty much the same about himself. Morgan got to work wrapping up her knuckles and then they walked back to the car.

The drive back to the hospital was riddled with silence, but it didn't bother either of them. They made their way back to JJ's room and Morgan held her back before they went in. "You good?" He asked.

"Yeah." Emily said, giving him a small – but real – smile. "I am. Thanks Derek."

"Anytime." Morgan shrugged, then walked into the room and covered Garcia's eyes. The blonde squealed and hit him, causing Rachel to laugh hysterically.

Emily immediately went over to her wife and kissed her hello. JJ nodded her head to Emily's knuckles. "Sorry." Emily apologized. "I'm good."

"I can see that." JJ murmured happily. "I'm not good however." Emily raised her eyebrows and inspected JJ, looking for something out of place. JJ only laughed. "I need another kiss."

Emily frowned, but leaned in and kissed her happily. "You jerk. That was mean."

Rachel looked over from her game and saw her mothers kissing. She smiled, then slipped down from Rossi's lap and tip toed over to them. "EWW." She yelled with a bright smile on her face. Emily looked up and smirked at Rachel then reached out and grabbed her. "Mommy!" Rachel giggled, trying to move her face away as Emily peppered it with kisses. "Gross!" Rachel yawned mid laugh and Emily glanced to the clock on JJ's bedside table. It was almost 9:30, Rachel had woken up around six with Emily's nightmare. Emily and JJ usually tried to get her into bed by eight.

"I think it might be past someone's bedtime." Emily said.

"NO!" Rachel protested. "I'm not tired."

"Well, I am, and JJ is and clearly Rossi is already asleep." Emily said with a laugh. Rossi did indeed have his eyes closed in his chair.

"Mr Dave is old that doesn't count." Rachel pouted.

"Hey little one, watch who you're calling old." Rossi said without opening his eyes. Rachel giggled and tiredly leaned against Emily with another yawn. "I am beat though, I'm heading back to the hotel." Rossi said as he rose from his seat. Morgan and Reid stood with him and pulled a reluctant Garcia off of JJ and into the hall.

"Night guys." Reid said with a little wave.

"Goodbye my loves, I'll be back at the crack of dawn." Garcia promised. JJ groaned.

Emily seemed a little wary to let Rachel sleep with her again, but the little girl climbed into the bed happily and pulled Emily with her. Emily looked at JJ with a worried glance but the blonde just smiled. Rachel cuddled herself into Emily and wound her fingers into Emily's hair, twirling it until she fell asleep. It was the sweetest thing Emily had ever seen and it calmed her down immensely. She looked up and saw that JJ had fallen asleep and sighed. Relaxing as much as she could, she kissed Rachel's temple. "I love you." She whispered and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>The next few days in the hospital went by quickly and dragged on at the same time. JJ was getting antsy and was thrilled when her doctor had said she needed to start getting up and walking around. Emily wouldn't let her take a single step unless she was holding on to some part of her body. JJ was close to smacking her for it, but she just bit her lip and let Emily have this, knowing she was only worried. JJ remembered the feeling of watching Emily heal more than once, and Emily was a much worse patient than JJ. Rachel seemed to observe the both of them with great concentration and she never let them out of her sight. Morgan and Garcia had tried on multiple occasions to try and get Rachel out of the hospital for a little while to no avail. The one time Morgan managed to pick her up and take her into the hall saying she could help him go get lunch for everyone, she had thrown a full on tantrum, kicked him and ran back to JJ's bed in tears; clutching the blonde's right side and refusing to move from her position the rest of the day. JJ was worried that her slight separation anxiety that she'd had months before when Emily got hurt had cropped up again, to a much greater extent. As the days wore on, they were all getting a little cabin fever and Rachel was having small tantrums left and right. It was exhausting for both women, especially since Rachel was normally so well behaved. Now, every little thing bothered her and it took forever for her to grant a request as simple as 'please go get changed'.<p>

"Rachel, I'm not going to ask you again." Emily stated firmly. "Go into the bathroom, brush your teeth and change your clothes."

"No." Rachel said crossing her arms angrily in front of her. Emily bit her lip in frustration and walked over to Rachel, bending down to her level and holding her shoulders.

"Rachel, if you want to come for a walk with JJ and I, you need to go get changed otherwise we will leave you here in a time out with a nurse until we get back. Its up to you. Would you rather be in time out, or go outside with us?" She said calmly.

Rachel glared at Emily, then looked over to JJ's bed in some attempt to get the blonde on her side. JJ only shook her head. "You heard your mother." She said turning back to the task of pulling on sweatpants. She was sick of wearing the hospital gown and had begged the nurse to let her wear her own clothes provided they were loose. Rachel stamped her foot in anger and roughly grabbed her clothes from Emily's hands. Stomping across the room she went into the bathroom and slammed the door. "Our child has turned into a demon spawn." JJ said as Emily helped her get her shirt over her head.

Emily chuckled. "Apparently." She agreed. "Any ideas on how to change her back?"

"As of right now, no, but I'll let you know." JJ smiled and sat back down on the edge of the bed. She was healing very well, but still got very tired quickly and certain movements – like lifting her shirt up over her head – were difficult without help. She had been in the hospital almost four days now and was very ready to go home, or at the very least be in a larger room. She loved Emily and Rachel, but the three of them together for four days all worried and on edge in a very tiny room was not proving to go well.

"I spoke to the doctor earlier." Emily mentioned as she helped JJ put on her shoes. "He said you can probably be released tomorrow."

"Oh thank god." JJ cheered. "How early? Like crack of dawn? Get the team to check out of the hotel and the jet to..."

Emily quickly cut her off. "No, the doctor will be in around nine and he'll check you, then decide if your ready."

"Oh screw him." JJ whined. "I want to go home."

"Jayje." Emily laughed. She hovered over JJ and began kissing her while they had a few minutes alone. Hearing the door opening, Emily reluctantly moved away and smiled hopefully at Rachel. She was dressed in new clothes but still wore a very sullen look on her face. She stalked over to the empty chair in the corner and plopped herself down without looking at either of them. "Thank you sweetie." Emily said gently. Rachel simply shrugged her shoulders and tucked her legs up onto the seat.

"Well, I want to get out of this room." JJ announced. "How 'bout you Monkey?" JJ hoped that her strategy to ignore Rachel's bad mood, would just make it go away.

"Kay." Rachel mumbled as she stood up and walked out the door. Emily and JJ shared an exasperated look before Emily grabbed JJ's hand, placed her hand on the small of her back and guided JJ behind her. Rachel kicked her feet and seemed to enjoy making her shoes squeak against the linoleum floor. She looked back every few seconds to be sure Emily and JJ were directly behind her. If she hadn't been in such a bad mood, it would have been adorable. "Momma, how much longer are we going to have to be here?" Rachel asked as they made their way out to the courtyard.

"Hopefully we can leave tomorrow, we'll find out what the doctors say in the morning."

"Really!" Rachel asked excitedly. She glanced back and forth between both Emily and JJ. Emily nodded with a smile. "YES!" Rachel cheered, then ran ahead and did another perfect backflip, causing both Emily and JJ to panic. The prospect of finally getting to go home seemed to have lifted Rachel's mood and she ran ahead of her parents laughing. She almost bumped into a man in a wheelchair and Emily ran forward to grab her.

"Its fine." He assured the brunette. "Hi, I'm Willy, what's your name?"

"Rachel, what's wrong with your legs?"

"Rachel!" Emily chastised, she and JJ moved closer to them, their job made them very wary of strangers.

The man laughed. "Its alright." He said to Emily. Turning back to Rachel, he explained, "I got in a car accident. Legs don't work anymore."

"Ever?" Rachel asked with wide eyes. Emily licked her lips.

"Nope." He said in a melancholy tone.

Rachel was silent for a moment, looking at the man as if trying to figure out what exactly that would mean. After a minute she caught his gaze and he smiled at her. "My mom got stabbed by a murderer." She said seriously. Willy stared at her in shock before glancing up at Emily and JJ. Emily wanted to cover Rachel's mouth and never let her out in public again.

"Rachel!" Emily said as she moved over and gently pulled Rachel away from him. "I'm sorry." She directed to the man.

"Its...did you really?"

"They're FBI agents." Rachel explained proudly.

"Rachel, leave this man alone." Emily said, giving Rachel a light shove towards JJ. "I'm sorry." She said again.

"No, its fine...she's a cute kid." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." Emily walked back over to Rachel and tried to hide the smirk creeping onto her face. _God her kid was a weird one._ Rachel laughed and held her arms up to Emily. The brunette picked her up and spun her around in the air while she squealed with laughter. JJ watched happily. They spent the rest of the afternoon outside until JJ's nurse came to give her more medication and made them come inside. Rachel's mood immediately dropped as quickly as only children's can, but she wasn't as difficult as she had been earlier that morning. Emily just crossed her fingers that they would be allowed to go home tomorrow, because she wanted her adorable little girl back.


	33. Chapter 33

**So guys, I am thinking this will be ending somewhere around the 40 chapter mark. I have a couple of ideas left and things I want to include, but I am feeling the ending coming up. This is not definite, my ideas might end up taking longer than I have planned, but I wanted to give you all ample heads up so it doesn't come out of nowhere. With that being said, I hope you enjoy:)**

Rachel kicked her legs back and forth and glared at Morgan as he walked into JJ's hospital room. He looked to Emily in confusion and she mouthed 'time out' to him. He nodded and promptly ignored Rachel. He knew the little girl had been giving Emily and JJ a hard time the last few days – hell he had a small bruise on his shins as proof – but she was hard to stay annoyed with. Everyone could tell she was acting out because she was worried about JJ and seeking attention. Luckily, they were checking JJ out right now, Morgan was so ready to go home.

"Doc says you gotta go in the wheelchair, hospital policy." Morgan informed JJ. She glared, but lowered herself down into the seat while Emily finished packing their things. The doctors and nurses at the hospital had been wonderful and helpful their entire stay. Kelly, JJ's most regular nurse, came in and handed Rachel a lollipop with a silent smile as she past over to JJ. Checking her vitals and stitches one last time, she nodded in satisfaction.

"You guys are good to leave. Its been a pleasure to know you." She said with a grin.

"Thank you for everything Kelly." Emily said gratefully, sticking out her hand and smiling at the younger woman. Morgan grabbed on of the bags and threw it at Reid catching him in the chest and laughing. Emily began pushing JJ's wheelchair out of the room. "Come on Rach, time out's over." She said to the little girl.

Morgan threw another bag over his shoulder before bending down and scooping Rachel up. She was eyeing her sucker longingly, but had yet to open it, knowing she was still in trouble. She knew she was being bad, she knew JJ and Emily were mad at her, but she couldn't help it. Maybe Frankie had been right when he told her she was a bad person. Maybe there was nothing she could do about it. Rachel wrapped one arm around Morgan's neck and let the strong man carry her outside and strap her into a car seat in silence. She fiddled with the sucker the whole drive to the airfield, not at all liking the fact that they had to get on an airplane again. The two she had been on so far had been horrible. Rachel looked over at JJ, the blonde had her eyes closed leaning against the back of the seat, one hand clasped together with Emily's. Rachel liked it when they did that.

As the team boarded the jet Rachel began to panic a little. At least with this plane, she knew everyone on it and the seats looked better than the ones on the big planes she had been on. Rachel moved ahead of Morgan and went to the back of the jet, climbing onto one of the benches and looking out the window. Everyone made themselves comfortable and Rachel stayed away from them, she was making JJ worse and all she ever did was make Emily mad now. The sucker in her hand was red, Rachel's favorite, but she didn't deserve it. Rachel quietly crawled forward and set it down on one of the tables then crawled back into the corner and squinched her eyes shut as the jet started up. The noise of the engine frightened her and she tucked her knees up to her chest, dropping her forehead into them and desperately trying not to cry.

A minute later Rachel felt arms around her. Her first instinct was always still to tense up, but she relaxed once she recognized Emily's touch. "I'm sorry." She said immediately, hoping to stay out of trouble if possible.

"For what?" Emily asked calmly as she adjusted Rachel onto her lap. Rachel simply shrugged. For whatever she did wrong, for everything she did wrong, for being a brat, for being herself. Emily noticed Rachel's hesitation and sighed. She was not about to let her revert to how things were before. The hospital had sucked for everyone but they were going home and things were going back to normal. "Rach, you know I love you right?" Emily whispered as she wrapped her arms around the little girl tightly. Rachel nodded. "You're not in trouble anymore sweetie. You had time out, its over, behave and lets have a nice day, sound good?"

"Okay." Rachel whispered.

"How come you didn't eat that lollipop? Last I remembered red was your favorite."

"I was bad, you don't get treats when you're bad."

"No that's true, but you aren't bad." Emily stated firmly, turning Rachel so the little girl was looking right at her. "You're _behavior_ was bad, you aren't. You're welcome to have the sucker." Emily kissed Rachel's cheek and then pressed her own against it. The gesture was something that comforted Rachel and she sighed into Emily.

"I love you too Mommy." She whispered a few moments later. "But I hate this plane ride."

Emily chuckled softly and turned them towards the window. "Look out here honey, that sky? Its not scary, its beautiful."

Rachel watched, a little wary, but at the same time slightly in awe. She couldn't see any houses from up here, just blue and clouds. Emily was right, it wasn't scary. Not like this anyway, not in Emily's arms. "Mommy?" Rachel asked.

"Humm?" Emily murmured.

"Is Momma really gonna be okay?" She asked in a tiny voice.

"Yes." Emily said immediately and firmly. "She is going to be just fine, we all are."

* * *

><p>JJ was sick of inside, inside sucked, inside was evil, so was daytime television. She slammed the remote down on the couch in frustration and began to stand up. Her stitches had come out three days before, but she was still sore on her side and moving too much too soon hurt. Weeks of having nothing to do and not being able to work was slowly driving the blonde insane. Hotch had specifically forbade her from calling the office again after she continually pestered each of the team members about their current cases. JJ had started her physical therapy a day or two after the stitches came out and it was aggravating. Her body couldn't be pushed as hard as it was used to and it pissed her off. She just wanted to be back to normal, back to work, healthy.<p>

Rachel's behavior had gone back to normal once they returned home to JJ and Emily's great relief. Apparently hospitals brought out the worst in all three of the Prentiss women. Her separation anxiety however had not lessened and only grew more apparent once she realized she would have to go back to school.

It had broken JJ's heart to see Rachel cry and cling to her as Emily tried to get her ready for school. Despite being hysterical Rachel had been sure to only touch the uninjured side of JJ, somehow, that made it more heartbreaking. "Please Momma, please can I stay with you?" She cried.

JJ looked over Rachel's head to Emily and sighed. "Why don't we give her today? Make her promise to go back tomorrow?"

Emily did that lip thing that drove JJ crazy and nodded in defeat. "Alright."

"Rach?" JJ couldn't bend down yet without pain, so she tried to get the little girl to look up at her. "Baby, look at me. Calm down." JJ ordered softly, moving the wet hair out of Rachel's face. "You can stay home with me, _today only_. You have already missed a whole week of school. You are going back tomorrow do you understand?"

"Okay." Rachel promised quickly.

Emily had kissed them both, told JJ again to call if they needed anything and headed to the bureau. JJ was actually grateful for the company, having Rachel there took her mind off the pain and having nothing to do. The blanket fort was still made up from before they left on the trip and mother and daughter spent most of the day in it. Rachel never wanted to be more than a few feet away from JJ, and almost always needed to be in constant contact. She continually held JJ's hand, or played with her hair, leaned against her uninjured side, or clasped onto some part of JJ's clothes.

They had made breakfast, JJ happy to be able to cook her own food and have coffee again and Rachel thrilled to be able to help. After eating, they had crawled into the fort – Rachel waiting patiently for JJ as she moved slowly – and then spent the morning reading and talking.

"Can I learn how to fight bad guys too?" Rachel asked. They were laying on the floor looking up at the impressive ceiling that Rachel and Garcia had covered with paper stars. Shocked, JJ rolled her head towards Rachel's.

"What?" She asked.

"Can you and Mommy teach me how to be strong and fight like you guys? So no one like Frankie can ever hurt me?"

"No one like Frankie will ever hurt you as long as Emily and I have anything to say about it." JJ said fiercely.

"I know, but for when I'm big and by myself." Rachel explained.

JJ sighed. She didn't like thinking about Rachel ever being alone without them, but one of the most important things her mother had taught her was how to live without her. To take care of herself. Rachel's separation anxiety was a clear fact that right now, they weren't doing the greatest job of that. "Rach, hopefully, we'll be together for a long, long time, but yes, if you want Em and I can teach you how to defend yourself." JJ studied Rachel's face as she stared up at the paper stars. "Rach, you know that just because you're not with us physically it doesn't mean you won't see us right? You went to school all the time before, and we always came and got you. We always come back after a case, we will always come back." JJ knew she couldn't actually promise that. Her injury being a bit of a wake up call, she corrected herself. "Our job is dangerous, and as you see, we can get hurt, but we will always do everything, fight as hard as we can to get back to you."

Rachel reached over and held JJ's hand. "I know Momma." She whispered.

* * *

><p>Rachel closed her eyes and counted to ten. That didn't work, she counted to twenty. Spence had told her that counting things and making lists calmed him down when he was nervous. She decided to make a list.<p>

**_Things that Rachel loved:_**

_Momma and Mommy._

_Spence._

_Dancing._

_Morgan._

_Jack._

_Garcia._

_Chocolate._

_Doctor Who._

_Mr. Hotch's smile (and Mr. Hotch)._

_Grams and Grandpa._

_Mr. Dave._

_Grandma._

_Garcia's office._

_Her bedroom._

_Mommy reading Harry Potter to her._

_Dance parties with Momma and Mommy._

_Sleeping in Mommy and Momma's bed._

_Reading and getting all the words right._

_Spence's facts._

_Cooking with Momma._

_Grandma's big house._

_Getting presents._

_Speaking in french._

_Her locket._

_Pizza._

_Mr. Dave's big house._

_The color green._

_How Mommy smelled._

_Playing with Momma's hair._

_..._

Rachel couldn't think of another one, someone was talking to her. She really wanted to go back home. She wanted to make sure JJ was okay. What if she fell down without Rachel helping her? What if she never stopped bleeding like her first mom? Rachel's tummy hurt.

"Rachel? Are you alright?" Her teacher asked her.

Rachel lifted her head up to say no, but instead of words, her breakfast came out. "Ewww!" A boy screamed. "She threw up!"

"Okay, quiet everyone." Her teacher hauled Rachel up and sent her with Tommy to the nurses office while she called a janitor to clean up the mess. Rachel began to cry. Tommy reached out and held her hand, but held his breath cause she smelled a little.

"Its okay Rachel, the nurse will make you better."

"I want to go home." Rachel moaned.

"You'll have to, you threw up, its a rule." Tommy said matter of factly. He sat next to her and waited patiently as the nurse came and called Emily. The nurse sent Tommy back to class and Rachel wanted to throw up again.

**_More things Rachel loved:_**

_Not being sick. Rachel liked not being sick._

_She liked being home. She wanted to be home right now._

_Spence's socks._

_Being up early in the morning with Mommy._

_Painting her nails with Garcia._

_Piggy back rides from Morgan._

_Playing secret agents with Jack._

_The Wizard of Oz._

_Hugs. Especially if they were from Momma or Mommy._

"Rach?"

Emily was here. Rachel began to cry again and held her arms up, curling herself into Emily's body. The nurse had already cleaned her up. "I threw up." Rachel moaned into Emily's neck.

"I heard. Let's get you home sweetie."

Rachel really didn't want to let go of Emily but it was against the law to sit on her lap while she drove. Letting go made her tummy hurt worse.

_Walking. Rachel liked walking better than being in cars._

"How's you're stomach feeling?" Emily asked, looking into the rearview mirror.

"Not good. Are we almost home?"

"Almost kiddo."

The second Emily turned the engine off, Rachel unbuckled and climbed across to the front seat and into Emily's lap, holding her tightly. "I don't like throwing up." She announced. Emily wrapped her arms around Rachel and lifted her out of the car.

"Me neither."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for being sick sweetie."

"I'm not sick. I missed you." Rachel stated as they walked through the front door. She instantly felt better once she saw JJ standing in the kitchen. They were both okay.

"Hey baby, how're you feeling?" JJ asked gently.

"Lots better Momma, how are you? I can get your cream for your stitches." Rachel said quickly, wriggling to be let down from Emily's hold. She saw JJ look up over her head at Emily and frown. "Or I can rub your tummy to make you feel better, or get you coffee." She offered instead.

"Rachel if you're sick you should lie down." JJ said.

"But I feel better now." Rachel insisted. "I feel lots better now that I'm with you guys."

JJ glanced warily at Emily.

* * *

><p>After they had put Rachel to sleep Emily tiredly slunk down into the bed and flopped an arm over JJ. "She needs to go back to see Dr. Yang." Emily mumbled.<p>

"I know." JJ whispered. "I know."


	34. Chapter 34

**So, like I said, the 40 mark is not definite its more of an estimation. But we are slowly approaching the end. I am thinking about doing a follow up with Rachel older, maybe a one-shot or a couple of chapters, but probably not right away. This prank is probably not realistic, and the kids would get in tons of trouble if they really did this in an FBI building, but for now, suspend your disbelief. **Hope you enjoy:)****

Rachel did not meet Dr Yang's eye. She knew that the woman was waiting for her to look up but she didn't. Emily and JJ were sitting in on this session and Rachel did not feel like talking right now. She snuck a look to her right and saw JJ and Emily watching her. Rachel quickly looked away.

"Shouldn't we..." JJ started.

"No." Dr Yang interrupted the blonde. "When she's ready, she'll talk, in the meantime you two are welcome to speak."

JJ nodded and sat up straighter in her chair. Rachel glued her gaze to the ground and picked at the pink nail polish Garcia had put on the day before. JJ had her first day back at work and Rachel had panicked again, Emily picked her up after lunch. She had a panic attack almost everyday in the last week and a half. She'd only lasted past lunch twice. She had gone and seen Dr Yang every single day since they had come back to DC. Rachel felt a lot better, she lasted longer and longer at school with every day, but there was still always a moment of sheer terror when she thought she would never see Emily or JJ ever again. She knew it wasn't rational, Dr Yang had told her so many times and in the back of her head, Rachel understood, but it was hard to remind herself in the moment.

"I guess I'm not sure where to start, or what to say really." JJ admitted, looking back and forth between Dr Yang and Rachel. "I...its just we've told her over and over that we love her, that we aren't going anywhere, I don't know how else to make her believe it."

"Rachel, what do you think about that?" Dr Yang asked. Rachel shrugged. "Can you use your words?"

"No thank you."

Emily smiled across JJ at Rachel. At least their kid was back to being polite.

"Rachel, please?" Dr Yang asked. "Why don't you tell them what we've been talking about?"

Rachel sighed and flicked some more nail polish to the ground. "I know you love me. I know you won't leave unless something bad happens like you die, I already know it, you don't have to worry." Rachel refused to look at either of her mothers or Dr Yang, it was too embarrassing. "I just...I just get scared."

"Of what Rachel?" Dr Yang prompted.

"Lots of stuff." Rachel said with a shrug. Dr Yang frowned at her and she groaned. "That a bad guy will kill you and I'll be alone again, but I know I can't worry about it and I know you'll try to come back it just takes me some time to remember."

Dr Yang watched Emily and JJ's faces as they listened to their daughter. Truthfully, the little girl was making a ton of progress and Dr Yang was sure that the three of them would be just fine. She was going to recommend that this be their last session unless it was an emergency further down the line. After talking to Rachel almost everyday, she knew that Rachel was alright. At this point it was more of a routine for Rachel to panic, than her actually panicking. Her lists had been helping quite a bit. Dr Yang was amused when Rachel told her of Spencer's idea. She simply wanted Emily and JJ to see that she was alright, once Rachel saw it clearly in their eyes, she would begin to believe it herself and things would go back to normal.

Emily and JJ listened closely to everything Dr Yang explained to them and breathed sighs of relief. If the professional said Rachel was fine, then they were going to trust her. Shaking her hand and thanking her more than they could ever really convey, the three Prentiss woman bade her goodbye.

* * *

><p>"Can you see him?" Rachel whispered.<p>

"Yes. I have him in my line of sight Rachel."

"Scarecrow! Code names Spence or will be found out!"

"What's my code name?" Reid asked.

"You're the Cowardly Lion." Jack explained.

"What! I am not cowardly I demand a different code name."

"No, we're doing Wizard of Oz." Jack insisted angrily.

Rachel pinched him. "What would you like Spence? We can just call you Lion if you want."

"Um...I guess that's fine."

"Good. Is...Rachel what are we calling Uncle Derek?"

"Don't say his name!"

"Sorry. What's his code name?"

"Just call him the target."

"Oh, okay, Lion, do you have the target in your sight?"

"Yes." Reid said again. "I already told you that."

"Right. I forgot."

Rachel smacked her forehead. Boys were complete idiots. She reached over and grabbed the walkie-talkie from Jack, Reid had already been given hers. "Lion, is everyone in position?"

"Yes Scarecrow, ready when you are." Reid said quickly. He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying himself. He never had kids to play with much when he really was a kid, this was kind of fun. Morgan looked up from his files and frowned at Reid.

"Kid, who are you talking to?" He asked.

"No one."

Morgan eyed him suspiciously but went back to his file. There was nothing weird going on that he could figure.

Rachel gathered her backpack and pulled Jack down the hall quickly. It was time to implement phase one. The two children ran down to Garcia's office, easily dodging agents as they made their way. Rachel knocked loudly, remembering the time she had opened the door on Garcia and Kevin kissing without all of their clothes on. It had been really funny to her, not so much to Kevin and Garcia. "Come in!" Garcia called. She wheeled around and grinned at the sight of her two favorite children. "Hey kiddies, I didn't know you were here."

"Daddy picked us up today." Jack informed her. Luckily his father hadn't asked why their backpacks were much heavier than they usually were. The two of them had been hoarding supplies in their school cubbies for days. It was half of the reason Rachel was staying in school all day now.

"Oh, goodie, what can I do ya for?"

"Can you please videotape something for us?" Rachel asked sweetly.

"Sure, what?"

"The bullpen, for the next...half hour or so." Rachel said with a mischievous grin.

Garcia raised her eyebrows and looked back and forth between the two of them. "And why exactly?"

"It will be worth it, I promise." Jack said quickly. Rachel stamped on his foot and Garcia regarded them suspiciously.

"We're going to do a little skit for everyone and we want it on tape. We've been practicing for a whole two days, so it will be worth it. That's what Jack meant." Rachel said calmly. Jack stared at her in awe, Rachel was the best liar he knew.

"Oh, okay, sure no problem."

"Thanks Garcia!" Rachel said sweetly as she grabbed Jack and shoved him outside. Rachel glared at him as they shut the door. "Jack! Close your mouth and look like what I was saying is true!"

"You're awesome." He said with a grin.

Rachel beamed, then kicked him again. "Come on." The two children ran back upstairs and slowly began emptying their backpacks. Morgan, Reid, Emily and JJ were all sitting at their desks, deep in work. Hotch and Rossi were up in their offices and luckily, their blinds were closed so the kids didn't have to worry about staying out of their sight as well. "Okay, if we get caught, what do we do?" Rachel asked Jack.

"Pinch ourself really hard to make real tears come, and plead the fifth." Jack said quickly.

"Right! They're FBI agents, they have to follow the law." Rachel pulled out the thin rope and began army crawling forward with Jack on lookout. A few other agents looked at her oddly, but she glared and stuck her tongue out and they mostly just left her alone. They were used to Rachel and Jack playing games sometimes in the afternoons. Rachel went very slowly and managed to get the rope in place before anyone noticed her. She quickly crawled back to Jack a little out of breath and grinned. "Done!" She announced proudly.

"Good job." Jack grabbed his bag and walked across the bullpen, pretending to head up to his father's office. He tripped and fell into Morgan apologizing profusely. "Sorry Uncle Derek."

"No sweat kid." Morgan said with a smile. He patted Jack on the back as he headed up the stairs, winking at Reid and knocking on his father's door.

Reid looked up and pretended to scratch his nose while Rachel watched. At Reid's signal, she pulled out a bottle of pink paint and held it at the ready. Reid scratched his nose again and Rachel rolled out a tennis ball into the bullpen. Emily saw it and reached down to lift it into the air, curious she glanced around, Rachel quickly ducked out of sight. Jack saw the signal and put on his roller skates, knowing Rachel was doing the same.

"That's mine." Reid said, reaching over the desk and taking the ball from Emily.

The brunette frowned at him. "Yours?"

"Yes. Mine." He insisted, placing it in his desk drawer. Emily frowned at him, but went back to work. Things with Rachel the last few days had been going great, JJ was completely healed save for a tiny bit of soreness after a while and life was good again. She wanted to hurry up and finish and get home.

Jack flicked the blinds up and down, Rachel took a deep breath and stood up shakily, she wasn't going to have to fake this, she was horrible at roller skates anyway. Reid quickly made it look like he was busy and Rachel skated into the bullpen. It took her a lot longer than she had hoped and Jack was already down the stairs heading into his position. He skated around the bundle of desks, Emily, JJ and Morgan smiling lightly while Reid kept his head down. Rachel flopped into the area as well, having already fallen twice, she realized they definitely should have practiced this part.

"Sweetie, you're gonna fall." JJ said as she caught sight of her.

"No Momma, I can do it." Rachel insisted quickly, if JJ got up, it would ruin everything. Jack whizzed by and grabbed Rachel's hand, steadying her. Jack pulled her along, skirting by Morgan's desk. The man scooted himself back as they approached, just as they'd hoped and went to grab them, tripping the rope behind him, his chair went sprawling. Rachel acted quickly, releasing the tube of pink paint all over his head and Jack pulled her away with laughter.

Morgan sat on the ground in shock.

Reid wasn't even trying to contain his laughter, he pulled out his camera and began snapping photos. Emily and JJ stared, completely unsure of what had just happened, and had a difficult time containing their laughter as well.

"What?" Morgan asked. He wiped the paint off of his face and glared up at Reid.

"Pay back's a bitch Morgan, I believe those were your very own words not too long ago." He said with a smirk.

"Wait, you and the runts..." Morgan glared at Reid and then whipped his head around after hearing the giggles from behind him. "OH YOU TWO BETTER RUN!" He yelled as he got up off the floor.

"AHHHH" Rachel and Jack screamed and tried to get away. Still in their skates, Rachel was having a difficult time of it. "Run Jack!" She yelled and pushed him out of Morgan's grasp. She screamed as Morgan lifted her into the air.

"You little sneak." He growled.

Rachel looked terrified for a moment, but then saw the smirk in the corner of Morgan's mouth. "I plead the fifth!" She yelled.

"Me too!" Jack screamed from across the bullpen. He saw his father standing up outside of his office and gulped. "I plead the fifth too!"

Morgan hauled Rachel up over his shoulder and gave her a small swat on her behind before carrying her back over to the desks. Emily and JJ were both frowning at their daughter, but clearly both amused.

"That was not a skit!" Garcia yelled as she ran up from her office. Everyone turned to look at her and she began to giggle. "But it was awesome and totally documented for all time."

"Not cool Baby Girl, not cool." Morgan pouted.


	35. Chapter 35

**I am devastated at the news that Paget will be leaving at the end of this season. On the one hand, I get it, CBS screwed her over and she deserves to be happy. I know she loves and misses comedy and I'm glad that this time its her decision. I will fully support her and watch whatever she choses to do after this but...we JUST got Emily back. Emily Prentiss is a flawless character and I will really, really miss her. Its just sucky all around and I am gonna wallow a lot. Also, not knowing if Gube is coming back either! Madness. Utter madness. I just...ugh.. I can't keep ranting here. She will live on in fanfiction:) **

** All french is translated by google translate, if its wrong please let me know and I'll fix it:)**

Two months later, everything seemed back to normal. Emily and JJ had been forcefully removed from their home by Garcia for a girls night, while the perky blonde had delegated babysitting duties to Morgan and Reid. The duo was currently sitting down to have tea in chairs that were not designed to have adults sit in them. Morgan shifted uncomfortably and almost fell onto the ground. Reid laughed.

"Shut up kid." Morgan growled.

"Uncle Derek, this is a classy tea party, you're not allowed to tell Spence to shut up." Rachel chastised him. Reid held up a tiny pink tea cup to Morgan with a smirk and took a sip with his pinkie out. Rachel beamed at him and Morgan clenched his fist to avoid smacking him in front of the kid.

"Rachel, how much longer do tea parties usually go on?" Morgan asked. He had a feeling that this tiny chair was gonna stick to his ass when he stood up and Reid had a camera phone.

Rachel frowned. "Oh, I don't know. This is the first tea party I've ever had. Do you know Spence?"

"Well, tea is very ingrained in english and middle eastern cultures, and generally..."

Morgan cut him off. "No! I do not want a lesson on tea, just give her a time limit." He lowered his voice. "And make it be less than four more minutes or my ass is gonna fall asleep."

Rachel leaned over to them and whispered along. "Ass is a bad word Uncle Derek."

"You didn't hear that." Morgan said to her quickly.

"Yes I did. I'm almost eight Uncle Derek, I know ass means butt." Rachel stated proudly.

Reid glared at him. "Way to go Morgan." He whispered. Hoping to change the subject, he turned back to Rachel and smiled. We've had tea and biscuits, I would say five more minutes would be acceptable tea etiquette."

Rachel nodded vigorously and sipped her tea with her pinkie out. Then proceeded to spill the tea all over her lap.

"Annnnddd we're done." Morgan announced. He stood up – eternally grateful that the chair didn't stick to his ass – and hauled a now wet Rachel up into the air. "Get some new pants, throw those ones in the wash."

Rachel ran off to change while Morgan and Reid cleaned up. They had made quite a mess. There was sugar, and crumbs from the biscuits Morgan had tried to make – which were rather inedible – random tea bags because Rachel had declared that they had to try every single kind, honey, and lots and lots of cups all over the counter and floor. Reid grimaced as he set his hand down in a patch of honey.

"Ughh...how did we make this much of a mess? JJ's gonna kill us."

Morgan snorted. "She is never going to know. Start cleaning." He ordered. He had seen JJ mad, hell he and helped train her with hand to hand combat for months while she was at the Pentagon. He knew not to mess with the blonde, especially where her kitchen was concerned. Rachel bounded down the stairs and Morgan snorted at her new appearance. Rachel had changed more than her pants. The little girl was now donned in a bright pink tutu and some sort of princess crown – courtesy of Garcia – orange high top converse that Reid had given her, and one of Emily's Rolling Stones t-shirts which she had stolen out of her mother's dresser that hung over her like a large dress. "What in the world?" He asked.

Rachel smiled proudly, happy with her attire. "Its important to make a statement."

"That definitely makes a statement." Morgan said softly. Reid laughed and threw the last of the used tea bags into the trash can.

"Thank you! Lets watch _Tangled_!"

Morgan and Reid groaned. They had already watched _Tangled_ twice. "Rachel, there is something to be said for variety." Reid said, trying to coerce her into a different choice. He didn't hate _Tangled_, but three times in one night was pushing it a little.

"What do you suggest Spence?" Rachel asked sweetly.

Reid lit up and Morgan feared for his life. "I have this incredible documentary on eighteenth century france that my mother sent me that revolves primarily around Marie Antoinette and Louis the sixteenth."

Rachel looked to Morgan and collectively they vetoed that idea. "No." Rachel stated firmly. "Definitely not."

"Marie Antoinette was Queen of France and executed by a guillotine." Reid said. Morgan quickly looked to Rachel and freaked out as her expression changed from that of boredom to excitement.

"She was a queen? Of France?" She asked excitedly. Reid nodded excitedly and Morgan felt like hitting his head with a hammer. "Une reine? Génial, nous allons regarder cela!"

"I don't speak french, but from the look on your face I am gonna need a beer." Morgan said with a frown. Rachel bounded over to the couch while Reid popped the dvd in and sat down next to Rachel. The little girl immediately repositioned herself onto Reid's lap.

"Ce ne serait pas cool si j'étais reine? Je pourrais commander tout le monde autour, et ils auraient à faire ce que j'ai dit." Rachel chatted happily as Reid began the documentary. She had been practicing french with Emily daily, spanish and portuguese as well, apparently, she had her mother's knack for languages. Morgan took a long swig of his beer and flopped down onto the couch next to them.

"I will hurt you for this." He whispered to Reid.

"Shush." Rachel said, smacking Morgan lightly in the chest.

"You know you have gotten in the habit of hitting me much like your brunette mother and I don't think I like it."

"Uncle Derek?" Rachel asked seriously.

"Yes Freckles?"

"I love you but shut up, that lady is about to get her head chopped off."

Morgan glared at Reid as Rachel turned back to the screen. "If they get mad, this is all your fault."

"Its educational Morgan, its not mindless violence like your zombie movies."

"One time!" Morgan yelled. "I let her watch that movie _one time_! Every since I have watched _Tangled_, _The Little Mermaid_, _Cinderella_, freaking _Tinkerbell_! I mean come on!"

"And we are very grateful that you watch those with her." JJ said, leaning over the couch and kissing Morgan on the cheek. "Did that woman just get her head chopped off?" She asked, horrified.

"Momma!" Rachel cheered, climbing off of Reid's lap and launching herself into JJ's arms. "How was your girls night? And how come I couldn't come? I'm a girl."

"Adult girls baby, we went to a club, kids aren't allowed in clubs." JJ explained as she kissed her daughter hello.

Rachel pouted, but caught sight of Emily and Garcia behind JJ and smiled. Wriggling herself out of JJ's grasp, she ran over to Emily and jumped up into her mother's arms. "Hi Mommy." She said hugging Emily tightly.

"I like your outfit." Emily laughed.

"Thank you." Rachel giggled. "Marie Antoinette got her head chopped of by a guillotine cause her husband spent too much money and didn't give people cake." She informed her mother. Emily snorted and glanced at Reid.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"They didn't show anything graphic." He insisted.

"Alright boys, quit traumatizing the almost eight year old." Garcia said smiling at Rachel. Her birthday was in three days and everyone was making a very big deal out of it. Rachel herself wasn't really used to the attention. Her birth mother had never celebrated anything that she could remember and the only present her father had given her had been a pair of tap shoes. He then forced her to practice until her feet bleed, it hadn't been a very good fifth birthday. Rachel was actually nervous about what was going to happen. "Get up and get your butts in my car." She walked over to Emily and kissed the brunette and her daughter on their cheeks, then hugged JJ before wrapping her arm in Morgan's and leading the men out. "Goodnight ladies!" She called cheerfully.

"Bye guys. Thank you for watching her." Emily called after them.

"For the record, I attended a tea party, so I think I should get some cash for that." Morgan said to Emily with a grin.

The brunette snorted and kicked him away. "Not a chance and I really hope there is photographic evidence of that."

"You had fun Uncle Derek!" Rachel insisted with a frown.

"Eh, kinda." He joked before kissing her forehead and chasing after Reid and Garcia.

Emily smiled at Rachel and flipped the little girl upside down. Her strong arms holding her tightly as she giggled. "Did you have fun?" Emily asked as she pulled her back up.

"Yeah." She said with a yawn as she rested her head on Emily's shoulder.

"Uh oh, bedtime."

"NO!" Rachel yelled, sitting up. "I'm not tired."

"You look tired." Emily teased.

"I'm not, look." Rachel jumped down and did a backflip, then a triple pirouette to prove her wrong. Emily just laughed and plucked the crown that had fallen off her daughter's head up from the floor. Rachel continued jumping up and down in place with renewed energy. Emily just shook her head and caught her in mid-jump. Throwing the girl over her shoulder, she began carrying her upstairs. "Mommy! I'm not tired!" Rachel yelled again.

"I am." JJ announced as she followed them up the stairs and headed into her bedroom. While Emily deposited Rachel in her room, JJ stripped out of her semi-skimpy clothes and pulled on an oversized tee and some old cotton soccer shorts. Pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail, she went into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth before heading down the hall to Rachel's room. Emily had yanked her out of the tutu and sneakers, leaving her in the large stolen t-shirt. Rachel skipped past JJ and ran into the bathroom. JJ smiled at Emily and pulled her in for a kiss. "Hi." She whispered.

Emily laughed and kissed JJ again. "Hi." Emily said back. "I'm gonna go change."

JJ smacked Emily's ass lightly as she walked away and the brunette turned back around and grinned before heading into their room. Rachel bounded back out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and smiling at her mother. "I'm not tired." She insisted again in mid-yawn. "Well, maybe a little."

"Come on, I'll tuck you in." JJ said holding out her hand. Rachel took it and let her mother lead her back to her room, realizing how tired she really was. Rachel climbed under the covers and JJ sat down on the side of the bed.

"Momma?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Yes?"

Rachel looked down to her hands, nervously playing with the edge of her blanket. JJ waited quietly for Rachel to continue. "Ummm...what do we do on birthdays? Why is Aunt Pen so excited?"

JJ's heart broke a little and she bent over and hugged Rachel. The girl gripped her mother tightly for a second before releasing her. JJ pulled back and rested her chin on Rachel's chest, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Well, Penelope's is excited because birthdays can be exciting. Its a special day. We're going to have a cake, and a party and you'll get some presents and we'll have a fun day."

"Like the adoption party?"

"Yeah, like that, except this is an annual thing."

"What's annual mean?" Rachel asked moving her hands from playing with the blanket to playing with the end of JJ's ponytail. JJ smiled, she loved when Rachel played with her hair.

"It means it happens once every year."

"And I'll be eight." Rachel said with a hint of a smile. "Eight sounds a lot better than seven."

"I remember liking being eight." JJ agreed with a grin. Rachel yawned again and JJ reached forward, kissing her forehead. "And now sleep." She said. Rachel didn't bother protesting, she curled into her side and closed her eyes. "Love you baby." JJ whispered as she stood up.

"Love you too Momma, tell Mommy." Rachel murmured.

"I heard you." Emily said as she walked into the room and shut the light off. JJ took Emily's hand and pulled her wife down the hall. "We're gonna have an eight year old." Emily stated as they crawled into bed.

"Don't remind me. She's already too smart and mature."

* * *

><p><strong>Translations According to Google:<strong>

"Une reine? Génial, nous allons regarder cela." - _A queen? Awesome, let's watch that._

"Ce ne serait pas cool si j'étais reine? Je pourrais commander tout le monde autour, et ils auraient à faire ce que j'ai dit." - _Wouldn't it be cool if I were a queen? I could order everyone around and they would have to do what I said. _


	36. Chapter 36

Rachel tugged on her leotard and stretched her foot. She glanced shyly across the room at Kaley. She wanted to invite the girl to her birthday party. She had seen movies and tv, she knew kids parties were supposed to have a lot of friends. She had invited Spence, Mr. Hotch, Mr. Dave, Uncle Derek and Aunt Pen, Grandma, Grams, Grandpa, Jack and Tommy. Rachel liked Jack and Tommy a lot, they were her best friends. Well, Jack was her best friend, Tommy was her school friend, and Kaley was sort of her dance friend. Rachel wanted to have a friend who was a girl other than Aunt Pen.

In the pretense of doing a few split walks, Rachel made her way over to Kaley; avoiding Taylor and Hannah to the best of her ability. The two older girls had never warmed up to Rachel and she steered clear of them whenever possible.

"Hi Kaley." Rachel whispered.

"Hi! Do you think we'll get to practice our recital dance today?"

"I hope so." Rachel said. The two of them rearranged their positions and began stretching their legs, sitting across from each other. "Hey, Kaley umm...I'm having a birthday party on Saturday after dance and I was...I was wondering if you wanted to come. We're gonna have cake and go to an amusement park! Well actually the amusement park first and then back to my friend's house for cake and stuff."

"Okay! I'll ask my mom after class." Kaley said with a smile. Rachel grinned and stood up along with the rest of the class to get into position.

"Alright ladies, today we are finishing our recital dance so I want you paying attention and working hard!" Their teacher yelled out. Rachel looked to Kaley and smiled. Kaley held her hand out low and Rachel gave her a high five.

By the end of class Rachel was one sweaty seven year old as she bounded over to Kaley's mother with her. The two of them began talking excitedly at the same time, despite being tired their energy was abundant. Emily and JJ walked over curiously as they noticed them.

"Hello. You must be Rachel's parents." Kaley's mother, Olivia, said with a smile.

"Hi, Emily and this is JJ." Emily said, shaking the woman's hand.

"Kaley can come to the party!" Rachel cheered. The two girls grasped hands and jumped up and down with excitement.

"Oh, great!" Emily beamed. "Um..we were going to take the kids, Rachel and her friends Jack and Tommy to the amusement park about twenty minutes away and then back to my friend Dave's house for cake and presents. We should be done sometime around five if that's alright?"

"That sounds great, here, I'll get your number." Olivia and Emily exchanged numbers and details while Rachel and Kaley began showing JJ part of their new dance. The two little girls were bubbling with excitement, each had a solo part.

Rachel said goodbye to Kaley and ran outside ahead of her parents, talking a mile a minute. Emily and JJ couldn't keep up so they mostly smiled and nodded as they got into the car. "Momma, since I'm gonna be eight do you think maybe I can stop riding in the car seat now?"

JJ shared a look with Emily and then turned back to Rachel. "We'll see honey."

Rachel slumped back into her seat with a pout. "That means no."

"No, it means I'll ask the doctor. You're really small Monkey, its not about age its about size."

"Momma, I am not gonna ride in a stupid baby seat with my friends. Jack doesn't ride in one anymore, and neither does Tommy, I'll bet Kaley doesn't either!"

JJ sighed and climbed into the passenger seat. Emily pulled out of the driveway in silence. "Rachel, we will think about it." JJ said with a tone of finality.

"Fine." Rachel grumbled. After a minute she was sick of being annoyed and perked up. "My recital is gonna be soon." She said with a grin.

"We know. We can't wait." Emily said.

"You guys are gonna come?" Rachel asked hopefully. "You won't be away for work?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world Rach." JJ promised. She had already told Hotch the date and informed him that Emily and JJ would both be sick that day. He agreed knowing how important it was to Rachel. The trio went inside and Rachel ran upstairs to change out of her leotard and tights. Hotch was coming over to pick up Rachel so she and Jack could play and JJ and Emily could have a date night. JJ grinned as Rachel ran downstairs with her curly hair flying. "Baby, come here." She said. Rachel ran over and JJ lifted her up onto her lap and began brushing out Rachel's hair. Her curls tangled together and she kicked her legs back and forth impatiently. "Rach, you be good and listen to Hotch okay? Whatever he says goes, no complaints."

"I know."

"Rachel..."

"I promise Momma."

"Thank you. Want braids?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded her head vigorously and JJ began to separate her hair.

The doorbell rang and Emily headed over to greet Hotch and Jack. "Hey guys." She said with a bright smile. "Come on in, she's almost ready." Emily said, stepping back a little. Jack ran past Emily with a wave and stood next to JJ while she finished braiding Rachel's hair. The two of them already conspiring. Emily could see JJ shooting down ideas as fast as they came up with them. "Thanks for taking her Hotch."

"No problem, do you think you could take him maybe Friday next week?"

"Hot date?" Emily teased. Hotch gave her a shy smile and she grinned. "Wait? Seriously? That Beth girl?" Emily laughed as Hotch kicked his foot out embarrassed. "Good for you Hotch." She said sincerely. "We'd love to have him."

"Thanks." He mumbled. Emily could tell dating was embarrassing for him. From what she knew, he and Haley had met in high school. She was pretty sure he'd never dated anyone else. Jack and Rachel ran over, ready to go. "Hey guys, go climb in." Hotch said, following close behind them.

"We'll pick her up at like ten? Is that okay?" JJ asked, handing Rachel's backpack with her pjs in them.

"Ten sounds fine. Take longer if you want, have a good night ladies." Hotch gave the women a wave and quickly headed to the car. Jack was buckling Rachel into his old car seat, much to her annoyance.

JJ wrapped her arms around Emily as she closed the door. "Its only 5:30." She whispered as she began kissing Emily's neck. "Our dinner reservations aren't until eight." JJ bit Emily's earlobe and the brunette moaned. "We have the entire house to ourselves." JJ said. Emily grinned and pulled JJ upstairs with a laugh.

* * *

><p>"It is not chivalry." Rachel growled for the third time.<p>

"It is too! Right Daddy? I'm keeping her safe by letting her use my car seat. That's being chvil-russ."

"Chivalrous." Rachel corrected him. "You say it, chivalrous. And no you aren't you're just trying to get out of sitting in it yourself."

"I think he's just trying to be nice Rachel." Hotch offered from the front seat.

"I think he's being a butthead. I'm a modern woman, I don't need chivalry." Rachel said proudly. Jack looked confused but Hotch burst out laughing.

"Who...who told you that?" He asked, trying to contain himself.

"Aunt Pen." Rachel said with a shrug.

"Of course." Hotch mumbled. "We're here, everybody out."

Rachel and Jack ran inside and straight up to Jack's room. Hotch went into the kitchen, got himself a glass of water, and decided to try and get some work done while they were busy. Hopefully, since Rachel was here, she would distract Jack long enough for Hotch to get all his paperwork done for the whole weekend. For fifteen minutes it went well, then he heard a large crash. Worried, Hotch ran upstairs and into Jack's room. Rachel and Jack were staring in horror at the lamp that was now broken in the middle of Jack's floor.

"It was an accident!" Rachel yelled quickly. "I did it, not Jack." She stood in front of him protectively and Hotch sighed. He knew Rachel trusted him now, but it still hurt when in the heat of the moment, she still became afraid of him.

"Its alright." He said calmly. "Just, stay there, there's broken glass and you two are barefoot." Rachel and Jack nodded. Hotch stepped strategically around the shards and lifted Rachel into the air and deposited her in the hallway, doing the same with Jack. "You two, go sit on the couch and wait for me, I'm going to get a broom." Obediently, the duo ran downstairs while Hotch cleaned up. He could hear them whispering as he swept up the mess, then got a vacuum to be sure he got it all. As he headed downstairs he almost laughed at how they both immediately sat up straight and clasped their hands together in their laps. "You're not in trouble." He informed them. They both instantly relaxed. "Just be more careful next time. How about you go play outside while its still light and I'll order a pizza?"

"Yay!" They cheered. Jack grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her outside after they put on shoes and sweatshirts. Hotch just shook his head, thew away what was left of the lamp and picked up the phone to order dinner. He set himself up in the living room, rather than his office so he could see them in the yard and went back to work.

Jack pushed a quiet Rachel on a swing. "Rachel?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Want to see who can jump the furthest?"

"Okay!" Jack sat down in the swing next to Rachel and kicked his legs hard. Pumping to catch up with Rachel, the two swung back and forth each trying to get higher in the air than the other. Rachel let go and went flying through the air, landing a good ten feet away at least. She dropped down with a grin.

"Your turn."

Jack let go and landed, Rachel had definitely beaten him. He pouted, but then got up, ran over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "You're it." He grinned, then took off running.

"Hey!" Rachel yelled after him. "No fair!" She stood up and ran, chasing him all around the yard happily. They had gone through Rachel being 'it' twice and Jack being 'it' three times before Hotch called them inside for dinner.

"Wash those hands." He said as they tried to climb up to the table. "I saw you both rolling around in the dirt."

Jack rolled his eyes, but dragged Rachel away to the sink obediently. The two of them climbed up and dug in after showing Hotch their newly clean – and still very wet – hands. "I love pizza." Jack declared with a smile.

"Me too!" Rachel said happily. "Do you love pizza Mr. Hotch?"

"I do." Hotch said with a small smile. Rachel beamed at him and took a very large bite then proceeded to show Jack. He groaned and showed her his own full mouth before Hotch said he was grossed out.

After dinner - much to Hotch's horror - they decided to play 'doctor who'. Hotch had no idea what that meant, but found he hated the game. Rachel and Jack ran upstairs to make things they called sonic screwdrivers, then ran back downstairs to get away from something called a dalek. Hotch had no clue what a dalek was, but if he heard them scream 'exterminate' in a robotic voice one more time he was gonna pull his hair out. "I'm gonna kill Reid." He muttered as Rachel 'zapped' him for the fifth time. "Okay! Game over!" He yelled.

Needing a little bit of quiet Hotch said they could put a movie in before bedtime. He sent Jack up to take a bath while Rachel colored and then they switched. When two clean and wet pajama clad children were set on the couch, Hotch popped in _Finding Nemo _and went to his office.

After about forty minutes, he had his work done and no longer heard giggling coming from the living room. When he snuck in he broke out into a grin and snapped a quick photo. Jack and Rachel were sound asleep curled up into each other. Hotch turned the movie off and picked up Jack, carrying him up and depositing him in bed. He was very glad he made them change and brush teeth before they started the movie. They had worn themselves out. He went back downstairs and carried Rachel up as well, tucking her in with Jack and turning the light off. He took the kids place on the couch and turned on the news.

* * *

><p>They had eventually dragged themselves out of their bed, gotten dressed and made their way to the restaurant, half an hour late. Both of them felt like teenagers who couldn't keep their hands off each other. Their dinner had been quiet, delicious and everything they needed. Before going to pick up Rachel, the pair had decided to take a walk now that it was warm out. Hand in hand they walked down the street and window shopped. Emily's breath hitched as they walked and came across the beach JJ had taken her to on their first date. JJ grinned and wrapped her arms around Emily and dragged her onto the sand.<p>

"I can't believe we haven't come back here before." Emily whispered.

JJ curled herself into Emily. It was warmer, but still night and a bit chilly. "I know. We should come here more often. I used to come here all the time before I brought you."

"Really?"

JJ nodded. "My apartment always felt too stifling. If I didn't go dancing or something, after a case I would come here."

"You never told me that. How come you don't anymore?"

JJ smiled shyly and kept her gaze out to the water rather than on her wife. "I didn't need to. I have you now." She whispered, somewhat embarrassed.

Emily beamed. "Jen..." The brunette trailed off and kissed her wife, not able to express how sweet that was any other way. "We should come here more often." She said, agreeing with JJ.

"Rach would love it."

"Oh shit, speaking of, we'd better head back its after ten and we've got to walk back to the car." Emily said. She stood and pulled JJ with her, sneaking another kiss before sending a text to Hotch telling him they were on their way. They walked quickly back to their car, JJ's shoe broke and on the last street Emily gave her a piggyback ride. Giggling, the blonde climbed into the drivers seat and started the car.

Emily knocked on Hotch's door and smiled apologetically as he opened it.

"Sorry we're late Hotch, we lost track of time." JJ apologized.

Hotch waved them off and opened the door. "Not a problem, they've been out for hours."

"She didn't have any nightmares?" Emily asked.

"None that I heard." Hotch said as he lead them upstairs. He opened the door and Emily had to hold back a laugh. JJ whipped out her phone and took a picture. "I've got another one I'll send you of them on the couch." Hotch said as he watched her. He handed Rachel's bag to Emily while JJ tip toed over to untangle Rachel from Jack and pick her up.

Rachel moaned a little in protest but quickly latched onto JJ once she was in the blonde's arms. Jack flopped over and took full advantage of the room he now had in his bed, still sound asleep. JJ carried Rachel out and downstairs, Hotch and Emily behind her. "Thanks again Hotch." JJ whispered before going to put Rachel in the car.

Emily hugged her boss and friend goodbye, promising to take Jack next week. "See you at the party saturday?" She asked.

"Can't wait. Neither can Jack."

"Night Hotch."

"Night Emily."


	37. Chapter 37

**My internet has decided it hates me, and has been out all week, so this update took a lot longer than I wanted it to. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy:)**

JJ watched as her daughter skipped ahead of her giggling. With a smile, she mimicked her and laced her fingers through Emily's. Instead of whispering something in the brunette's ear like Rachel had done with Kaley, she kissed her wife on the check. Rachel and Kaley ran, hand in hand, ahead with Jack and Tommy. All four children were thrilled to be going to an amusement park. JJ and Emily had gotten the team to come along. Hotch and Rossi appeared less than thrilled and promptly made their way to a quiet bench; promising to join up with them after a few rides.

Jack and Tommy wanted to go on the rollercosters, but Rachel and Kaley wanted to go in the wave pool. They decided to do rock paper scissors to decide. Rachel and Jack took themselves very seriously as they squared off in front of each other; Tommy and Kaley behind them. They glared at each other and Garcia giggled behind them.

"Yay!" The boys cheered as Rachel lost.

"Its _my_ birthday." She whined.

Jack's face fell and he quickly relented, thinking that if this was his birthday he would be really mad. "Okay, lets go to the wave pool, then the rollercosters will dry us off." He offered with a smile. Tommy glared but Jack ignored him and took Rachel's hand. Rachel was his best friend, not Tommy and it was her birthday. Rachel beamed but looked shyly to Tommy. The other boy groaned but agreed to go to the pool first.

Emily looked at JJ and let out a small laugh, none of them had needed to step in. They made their way to the locker rooms and sent Jack and Tommy in with Morgan and Reid while Rachel and Kaley ran ahead of Garcia, JJ and Emily. Kaley quickly shed her clothes and slipped into her bathing suit, completely unembarrassed. Rachel stuck close to JJ and bit her lower lip. JJ noticed and took her into the smaller changing rooms without a word. Rachel and JJ changed and then headed back to meet the other girls. Rachel slipped her hand into JJ's and didn't run ahead to meet the boys. JJ looked down at her daughter, curious as to why all of her excitement seemed to have run out. Garcia and Emily walked ahead and JJ pulled Rachel back a little.

"Hey Monkey, you okay?" JJ asked. Rachel bit her lip and shook her head no. JJ could see that she was close to tears and trying very hard not to let them out. Quickly the blonde bent down to her level and gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, woah, what's wrong baby?"

Rachel gulped and stamped her foot a little in anger. "I can't swim." She admitted, infuriated at her shortcoming.

JJ felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten. "Oh, sweetie, we don't have to go in, there are lots of other rides we can go on."

"No!" Rachel yelled. "Kaley wants to do this I want her to be my friend."

"She is baby, and she will be either way."

"I want to do this." Rachel said firmly. JJ sighed. Rachel had the exact same look of determination plastered on her face that she had seen many times before. It still always surprised her how much she reminded JJ of Emily or herself at times.

"Well, the wave pool is fun in the shallow end, you can hold onto my hand."

"Okay." Rachel said perking up. She pulled JJ up and began walking over to the group, stopping suddenly. "Momma, don't tell them I can't swim. Its embarrassing." She pleaded.

"Of course not baby."

Reassured, Rachel pulled JJ along and grinned with her friends as the whistle blew signaling that the waves would begin.

Emily frowned at JJ, raising her eyebrows in question. JJ mouthed, 'can't swim', making sure Morgan, Garcia and Reid all saw her. They nodded and moved forward with the children. The wave pool could get crazy even if you were a good swimmer, but now all the adults would be keeping a closer eye on Rachel.

"Alright guys, stay near us and in the shallow end." Morgan ordered as Jack leapt onto his back. The whistle blew again and the entire pool cheered. Jack, Tommy and Kaley looked thrilled; so did Garcia and Morgan. Reid and Rachel looked slightly terrified and JJ laughed as Emily took Reid's hand without a word. The look of gratefulness was adorable. The first wave came at them, hitting all of the adults and teenagers in the deep end first before coming into their area. There was another group of older kids – probably between thirteen and fifteen – near them and JJ watched as they got a little rough, dunking each other and swearing. She turned her attention back to Rachel as the wave hit them. Everyone jumped, Rachel looked completely terrified and JJ swung her up into her arms just as the wave went through them.

"You alright?" JJ asked. Rachel nodded and looked over to her friends who were eagerly awaiting the next wave. Her face relaxed a little and she squirmed for JJ to put her down but took her hand again. The next wave was already coming and this time Rachel knew what to expect, so she jumped with everyone, holding her mother's hand tightly and smiling. Rachel looked next to her at Reid and grinned at him. His pale skinny frame was much more apparent in the pool and he still looked a little uncomfortable. Rachel kept her hold on JJ's hand and maneuvered herself closer to Reid.

"It's fun right?" She asked him.

Reid looked down and nodded, but clearly could think of a million things he would rather be doing. The next wave came at them and Rachel expertly jumped it with JJ's help. She squealed with delight as Jack came bounding over and jumped the next one with her.

"Can I go read my book?" Reid whispered to Emily after a few more waves came.

Emily chuckled and nodded. "Of course Reid." Not letting him feel bad about abandoning them she quickly added, "someone should stay and watch our stuff anyway."

Reid nodded and happily made his way back to their chairs and towels, smiling as he saw Hotch and Rossi come over to him. "That looks wildly unpleasant." Rossi noted as he watched Tommy get knocked over by a wave. Morgan hauled him up and he was grinning and cheering for it to happen again.

"It is." Reid stated and wrapped a towel around himself. "Its not an experience I will ever plan on participating in again."

"A no would suffice." Rossi said as he sat down next to the skinny, wet, man. Hotch chuckled and watched Jack and Rachel jump a wave, hand in hand.

Rachel had released JJ, wanting to jump with her friends. Morgan was totally into it, jumping with the four kids, while Emily, JJ and Garcia mostly stuck to the very shallow bit where the waves hardly graced their thighs. They were close enough to get to them if there was a problem, but far enough away to enjoy themselves. The teenagers who were close to them were getting rowdier by the minute and Emily glanced around warily, wondering if they had any adults with them. An older boy, probably about fourteen was clearly trying to show off to the two girls and flinging himself around and teasing other children. So far, their kids hadn't noticed him, too busy having fun with each other and Morgan, but Emily had a feeling they were going to have to cut the wave pool short soon.

Morgan was taking turns throwing each of the kids into the water as the waves hit. Jack, Tommy and Kaley were having the time of their lives. Rachel had yet to be thrown but hadn't pointed it out to anyone. She didn't want her friends to know that she was a baby who couldn't swim. An older boy flung himself into the same wave she was jumping and his arm smacked her in the head. Rachel went down and under the water. Panicking Rachel tried to get herself back to the surface but found herself surrounded by bodies. As she finally broke the surface, another wave came and the boy crashed into her again. She barely had a second to take a breath. Back under the water, she was slammed into bodies and terrified. She couldn't breathe, she kicked her legs and arms every way possible, desperately trying to get above water. Arms enveloped her and hauled her upwards quickly. Sputtering, Rachel gasped for air and clung to Emily who held her tightly and was walking out of the pool as quickly as possible. Rachel wasn't really sure what was going on, her eyes stung, her lungs hurt and she was coughing and crying. She could hear JJ yelling but she didn't know where she was. People were walking next to her, but she didn't pay attention to them, she just clung to Emily and cried.

"Is she okay?" Kaley asked worriedly.

"Hang on guys, come here, let Emily check her out." Garcia said pulling Kaley and Tommy back with her. Jack had ran to his father and refused to take his eyes off of Rachel. Kaley and Tommy sat down next to Reid and Rossi and took the towels handed to them by Garcia. The blonde looked out back into the water at JJ and Morgan who were scolding the children who had knocked Rachel down.

Emily and Rachel ignored everyone. Rachel was still coughing up water and crying, not entirely sure what had just happened. Emily was rubbing her back and holding her tightly. "You're okay sweetie." She whispered. "Just breathe, you're okay." Emily took Rachel's chin in her hand and lifted her face up to see her daughter. "Hey." She smiled. Rachel coughed again, but Emily was satisfied that she was alright, more frightened than anything else.

"That was not fun." Rachel moaned.

"No, I wouldn't think so, but you're alright." Emily said. Rachel slammed her head into Emily's chest and cried some more.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked with a whisper.

"Yeah sweetie, she's gonna be fine, just scared." Emily said as JJ and Morgan made their way over to them. JJ looked completely terrified and was in an almost full on sprint. "She's okay!" Emily yelled out quickly and watched JJ visibly relax, but only slightly. Hotch pulled Jack over with the rest of the kids and began maneuvering them into the changing rooms. They were definitely done with the wave pool. Kaley followed Garcia into the girls changing room while Reid and Hotch took Tommy and a reluctant Jack into the boys. Rossi headed outside with all their things after giving Morgan a nod.

"She's good?" He asked Emily. The brunette nodded and Morgan headed after Reid and the boys, giving the women their space.

JJ hovered above Emily and Rachel, still just as shaken up as Rachel was. Rachel looked up and saw JJ then began crying harder all over again. She crawled out of Emily's lap and into JJ's. "I was dying." Rachel insisted as JJ sat herself down as close to Emily as she could get without actually being on her wife's lap and held Rachel. JJ smiled at Emily and rubbed Rachel's back.

"No, you weren't dying, you're just fine but we are definitely signing you up for swimming lessons, and that boy got kicked out of the pool. He wasn't following the rules baby, it wasn't your fault."

Rachel, Emily and JJ stayed there a few more minutes until Rachel calmed down and then headed into the changing rooms. The trio quickly shed their bathing suits and went outside to meet the rest of their group. Jack immediately ran over to Rachel and slipped his hand into hers. "I saw that boy in our changing room and dropped his t-shirt in a puddle of water." He whispered with a grin. Rachel smiled shyly at him and squeezed his hand.

"Anybody ready for lunch?" Rossi asked. Everyone nodded and they made their way over to the food court. After a lot of deciding and changing orders, everyone was sitting down at the largest table they could find and digging in to pizza, hot dogs, fried dough and every other over priced, unhealthy thing they could find. The mood had shifted and everyone was having a good time, Rachel more so than anyone else.

When they finished, they decided to walk around the game area for a while before going on any of the rides. Morgan won stuffed animals for Tommy, Jack, Kaley, Rachel and Garcia. Rachel's was the largest stuffed elephant that anyone had ever seen and she squealed and tackle hugged him. Jack seemed to have quite an arm on him and successfully dunked the man in the water booth twice, impressing the adults watching who hadn't been able to come close. Hotch beamed at him as he received his prize and Rachel, Tommy and Kaley tried to lift him on their shoulders. Rossi offered to take their prizes and wet suits out to the car and then they went to hit the rides. The kids were mostly all too small for the big rollercosters, but there were a lot of smaller rides they could go on. Luckily, the lines weren't very long and they got on all of them pretty quickly. The bumper cars were the highlight of the day. Hotch and Jack paired up in one, Morgan and Tommy in another, Emily and Kaley, Rachel and JJ, and Garcia, Reid and even Rossi joined in. Morgan and JJ were the most competitive and made it a point to hit each other as often as possible.

"Momma! Get him!" Rachel squealed with delight as JJ helped her maneuver the steering wheel towards Reid.

"No!" Reid yelled and tried to get away to no avail. JJ and Rachel slammed into him, Emily and Kaley following right behind. "This is not fair!" He yelled as Garcia and Rossi followed suit. "You can't all gang up on me!"

"Yes we can!" Morgan yelled as he and Tommy hit Reid as well. Reid groaned and threw his arms up in frustration, taking them off the wheel and just sitting there until they had had their fun. "JJ you are going down!" Morgan yelled as he followed close behind JJ and Rachel.

"Momma go faster!" Rachel screamed in excited terror. Instead, JJ grinned.

"Hold on baby." She said and whipped the car around, catching Morgan off guard and slamming into him just as the ride ended.

"We win!" Rachel cheered and high fived JJ.

"Uncool." Morgan growled as they climbed out of the cars. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him playfully and swung JJ's hand back and forth.

The group went on the teacups, the log ride, a couple of small rollercosters, and by the time four o'clock rolled around, the kids were very clearly tired.

"Alright guys, its time to go." Emily announced. She was met with groaning and protests – most of them from Morgan – and she quickly added, "we've got to do cake and presents before your parents come get you."

"Everybody in the car now!" Rachel ordered and took off running, Jack right behind her. The prospect of presents got her moving. The four children were all buckled into Emily and JJ's car – they had relented and allowed Rachel not to sit in her booster seat – and everyone drove to Rossi's. JJ had called her parents and Emily's mother and told them they were on their way as Emily got all of the kids into the car.

Arriving at Rossi's, everyone was still excited and having fun but their tiredness was becoming more and more apparent. Emily knew they were going to crash soon and while they all sat down in Rossi's living room to open presents, she called Kaley and Tommy's parents to let them know they were almost done. JJ and Garcia got the cake out while Rachel started to open her presents then made their way into the living room, Garcia with her camera at the ready.

Rachel happily tore through the wrapping paper and hugged everyone after opening their present. She was truly awed at people giving her things still and genuinely happy with everything. Emily and JJ watched happily as she thanked her friends and proudly displayed each present. Tommy had gotten her a t-shirt that said 'dance', Kaley had gotten her a friendship bracelet and they immediately spilt the parts out between the two of them, Jack (and Hotch) had gotten her Scarecrow and Tin Man dolls, meant to represent them, Reid had bought her a sonic screwdriver and a small tardis, Elizabeth had gotten her a ballet music box, Mary and Andrew had gotten her some new dance clothes, Morgan had gotten her a couple of new books and a small purple elephant beanie baby, Rossi had gotten her a bright green soccer ball – she had found out JJ played and wanted to learn – and Garcia had made a photo album. It was decorated with lots of pink and filled with pictures of Emily, JJ, Rachel and the team. Looking through some of it, Emily began to tear up and reached out and hugged Garcia.

"Thank you everyone, now lets eat cake!" Rachel yelled. The four children cheered and ran to the table. Rachel grinned at her second tardis cake while everyone sang happy birthday to her.

"Make a wish." Kaley said when they were done.

Rachel frowned and bit her lower lip. "I got my wish." She said simply looking up at her mothers. JJ almost lost it right then and there but Rachel stuck her tongue out and made a monkey face. JJ burst out laughing and told her to make a wish already. Rachel complied and blew out all her candles happily. The kids dug in and stuffed themselves with cake. A few minutes later, Kaley's mom and Tommy's fathers came to pick them up. Rachel hugged both of them tightly and tried to hide Kaley from her mom in order to keep her there longer.

"Rachel." Emily scolded as she hid Kaley behind her little body.

"Fine." Rachel groaned. She hugged Kaley tightly then let her go home. As the kids began to leave, the rest of the party began trickling out. Elizabeth, Mary and Andrew all headed out after lots of hugs and kisses, as did the team. Emily and JJ tried to stay and help Rossi clean up but he ignored them and ushered them out.

"I got it, go home, have a nice dinner." He ordered.

"Rossi we can..." Emily began.

He cut her off. "Home Prentiss now."

"Which one?" Rachel asked with a yawn. "Cause all our names are Prentiss now." She smiled as she wrapped her arm around one of Emily's legs and rested her head on the brunette's side.

"All three of you." He smiled.

"Bye Mr. Dave. Thank you for coming to my birthday party."

"You are very welcome."

Emily and JJ loaded all of the presents into their car and drove home. As they suspected, Rachel was out like a light before they even made it halfway back. "You get her, I'll get the presents." Emily whispered as JJ shut off the car. The blonde nodded and lifted a sleeping Rachel into her arms. She was still tiny for her age, but she was definitely getting bigger, the thought both excited and terrified JJ as she carried her daughter inside. It was only a little after five thirty, but JJ decided to let Rachel nap for a little while. She tucked her into her bed and frowned at the small glimpse of a sunburn on her nose. JJ had been diligent with sunblock, but it must have washed off after the wave pool. Kissing her forehead, JJ headed downstairs and helped Emily unload everything.

"She's eight." JJ announced as they flopped down onto the couch.

"I know." Emily murmured as she wrapped her arms around JJ. "I love it and I hate it."

JJ laughed. "Me too."


	38. Chapter 38

**Thanks for all of your comments guys. This one is short. We are very, very near the end. I am slowly running out of ideas and I don't want to drag it out. I will probably have 2 more chapters. Thank you all so much for sticking with me this long. Your feedback means a ton to me and you are all awesome:) I hope you enjoy the rest.**

As the months went by and it got warmer Rachel decided that she was going to become a soccer player like her mother. Armed with her neon green ball from Rossi, new cleats and shin guards, she requested two braids from JJ and ran out onto the field in the park. Emily was fit and in shape but had never really been an athlete so headed to the bleachers with a book and a camera. She ended up abandoning her book and began filming JJ and Rachel. JJ was very good at explaining the rules to the young girl, who listened intently. JJ started by teaching her footwork and how to dribble the ball down the field. Rachel wanted to go straight to kicking in it the goal, but practiced anyway.

Emily winched as Rachel tripped for the third time and landed flat on her face. JJ quickly picked her up and brushed her off, placing a kiss on her forehead and showing her again.

Rachel was determined to learn and certainly made progress but grew increasingly frustrated as time wore on.

"Can we just kick goals now?" She asked after almost an hour.

"Sure." JJ smiled and showed her how to wind up and kick the ball with the inside of her foot. Rachel stared at JJ in awe as the ball sailed into the goal.

"Wow Momma, you're really good."

JJ beamed. Seeing her daughter so impressed with her felt amazing. It had been a while since she had played. Truthfully, she had only really started soccer to get a scholarship and get out of East Allegheny; and she had hated a lot about it, the pressure it had put on her, but she actually did love the game. Teaching Rachel felt incredible. JJ showed Rachel again and stood to watch as she wound up and kicked the ball. It went right into the goal and Rachel screamed with glee.

"MOMMA! DID YOU SEE THAT?" Rachel yelled. She turned and looked up at Emily jumping up and down and pumping her fists in the air. "MOMMY! DID YOU SEE THAT? I KICKED IT IN!"

"Got it on tape!" Emily said holding up the camera and waving. "Good job."

"Keep going, I'm gonna go talk to Em and I'll be right back." JJ said. Rachel nodded and began kicking continually, happy that she appeared better at this than dribbling the ball. JJ plopped down next to Emily and dropped her head on the brunette's shoulder. "She's wearing me out."

Emily chuckled. "There is a lot of cute stuff on here. Garcia's gonna have a field day." She held the camera out to JJ who gladly took it and began watching.

"Mommy!" Rachel yelled. "Watch this!" She wound up and kicked it right at the top of the goal.

"Good job honey!" Emily called back.

Rachel kicked a few more goals, then picked up her ball and ran over to her mothers. Slamming her head tiredly into JJ's chest she announced, "I'm hungry."

"Lets go get some dinner." JJ said hauling her up and swinging Rachel's legs back and forth before depositing her on the ground.

"Can we get pizza!"

JJ looked over to Emily and shrugged. "Sure, come on."

Rachel bounded into the restaurant and ran up to the hostess. "May we have a table for three please?" She asked with a grin. "Oh, not by anybody smoking."

"Sure cutie follow me." The smiled and grabbed three menus, leading them to their table. Rachel slid into the booth and began playing with the salt and pepper cans. Crashing them into each other with glee that only a child can have. Emily simply shook her head and slid in next to her looking at the menu.

"Hi, my name is Liv and I'll be your waitress tonight." A young woman came up to them with a bright smile. "Can I get you ladies anything to drink to start?"

"May I please have a chocolate milkshake?" Rachel asked.

"Sure. Anything for you?" She asked Emily and JJ.

"Water's fine thank you."

"Okay, I'll be right back with those unless you're ready to order."

"I am!" Rachel said. Emily nodded after looking to JJ and the three placed their orders. Rachel went back to playing with the cans until the waitress brought their drinks and some coloring paper and crayons for her. "Thank you." She said with a smile.

"No problem."

Rachel quickly decided to draw Emily, JJ and herself sitting in a booth at a restaurant. JJ and Emily were making plans for the weekend, so far, they had no case. Rachel continued to draw until their food arrived then began digging into her pizza.

"Ughh." She yelled and dropped her bite back on her plate. "Its hot." She moaned as she quickly sipped her milkshake. "I burned my tongue."

"Rach." JJ said with a sigh. "You can't spit your food back out in a restaurant. That's not polite, blow on it and slow down." JJ chastised. Rachel picked up the piece of pizza she had just spit out, blew on it and popped it back into her mouth with a grin. "Gross." JJ said with a smirk.

Rachel simply smiled and took anther bite. "Can I go visit Frankie?" She asked out of the blue.

Emily and JJ eye's immediately found each other. Rachel hadn't mentioned Frankie in months since she and Jack had skipped school. Neither of them really knew how to react to her request. All their instincts screamed no. No way in hell. Emily didn't want Rachel anywhere near him ever again. Her nightmares had almost all but vanished, she told them she loved them regularly, she trusted them, Emily couldn't fathom what she would want with Frankie.

"Why sweetie?" JJ asked gently. She kept her gaze on Emily and bit her lip.

Rachel shrugged and reached across the table and took one of JJ"s french fries. Popping it into her mouth she didn't met either woman's eye, "cause." She said softly.

Emily brought her thumb up to her mouth and nervously began gnawing at it. JJ reached across the table and swatted her hand away. "Rach, if you can explain why we can talk about it." Emily said, turning her body towards Rachel's.

Rachel began playing with the edge of her shirt and stared down at the floor. "I need to tell him something." She whispered.

"Can you tell us?" Emily asked softly.

"I don't want to." Rachel admitted. "But I will if you want me too."

Emily and JJ shared a look. "Finish eating sweetie, we'll think about it." JJ finally said. Rachel nodded and took another bite of her pizza. She remained silent the rest of dinner and barely looked at her mothers. Emily and JJ both appeared to be in shock. Rachel mentioning Frankie reminded them that at one point, she hadn't been theirs, it wasn't something they liked to think about. Rachel had come so far in almost a year and they were afraid this might set her back somehow.


	39. Chapter 39

**You guys are awesome:)****The final chapter should be up either late thursday afternoon/nightish or sometime friday. **

_ "__And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears."_

_ -Mumford and Sons_

Emily rolled over in bed and was met with Rachel's smiling face. "Hi Mommy." She whispered. The little girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor, the first Harry Potter book in her lap.

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing up so early?" Emily whispered back, not wanting to wake JJ before seven.

Rachel shrugged. "I woke up."

Emily smiled and tucked her arms under her head. "And came in here to read in the dark?"

"I have a book light Spence gave me." Rachel shivered and Emily pulled open the covers. Rachel grinned and crawled up into the bed, tucking herself into Emily.

"Jezz you're toes are cold." Emily whispered, giving her a kiss. Rachel giggled and tickled Emily's legs with them again causing the brunette to suppress a squeal. "If you wake up your mother I will make _you_ deal with her." Emily warned. Rachel smiled and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, laying still. She knew better than to wake JJ up anytime before nine. The two stayed quiet for a few minutes, Emily thought Rachel must have fallen back asleep and was very close to doing so herself when Rachel softly whispered.

"Mommy?"

"Hum?" Emily didn't open her eyes.

"Did you and Momma talk about me seeing Frankie yet?" She asked nervously.

Emily shifted a little and opened her eyes. Rachel's face was inches from her own and she was bitting her lower lip nervously. Emily sighed, wishing that JJ were awake so she didn't have to deal with this particular subject alone. Truthfully, it was all they had been talking about for the last few days, but they had yet to really reach a conclusion. Neither woman wanted that man anywhere near their child ever again, but it seemed important to Rachel and they didn't want to just say no.

"Can you tell me why you want to talk to him?" Emily asked.

Rachel dropped her gaze to Emily's chin and began twirling her hair in her little fingers, rather than look her mother in the eye. "I need to tell him some stuff." She said vaguely.

"Can you be anymore specific, or tell me why you need to tell him something?" Emily sighed in frustration. "We just...your mother and I want to understand why you need to talk to him. Is it something you don't want to ask us?"

"No, I don't need to ask him anything this time. I just..." Rachel grew frustrated and wasn't sure how to get the words out to explain her need properly. Her frustration grew to anger and she lashed out. "He's _my_ dad and if I want to talk to him then you should just let me!" She yelled pushing herself away from Emily and trying to crawl out of the bed. Emily bumped into JJ who had begun waking up at the sound of Rachel yelling.

"What's going on?" JJ asked rubbing her eyes.

Emily ignored her, trying to reach out and grab Rachel but the little girl was quick and moved out of reach. "I want to talk to my dad and you can't stop me. I'll go by myself again if you won't take me." Rachel threatened as she crossed her arms and stamped out of the room, leaving a very shocked Emily and an extremely confused JJ behind her.

"Okay...I repeat, what is going on?" JJ asked, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"She wants to see Frankie, and as much as I don't want to...judging from her little meltdown, I think we should take her."

JJ pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. She hated it, but she agreed with her wife. "Fine, but she can't yell at us like that."

"I agree. Which is why I'm going to go find her, make coffee and put her in time out." Emily leaned over and kissed JJ then went off to find Rachel. JJ sighed and slumped back down into the bed, flinging the covers over her head with a groan. Today was not starting out well, and it was only 7:08 in the morning.

"Rachel?" Emily called. The little girl hadn't been in her room, or the upstairs bathroom. Emily headed downstairs to continue her search. She turned around the corner and sighed. "Hey." She said. Rachel was standing on a stool leaning over the island counter and making coffee. Grinds were all around the countertop and the floor, but she was successful.

"I'm sorry I yelled." Rachel said immediately. She began sweeping the grinds together trying to clean them up quickly. Emily snatched the garbage bag and held it against the counter for Rachel.

"That's good." Emily said gently. "But you're still sitting in time out for five minutes."

"Mommy!" Rachel whined. "But I apologized! And I really mean it, and I made you coffee!"

Emily grinned and lifted Rachel down, giving her bottom a light swat to get her moving. "Which is very good and I thank you, but you can't yell at us like that, we're your parents and its disrespectful. You can't threaten to leave and go off to visit a jail by yourself. You have to talk to us, not yell and demand. So, five minutes, go."

Rachel glared at her mother with crossed arms, but walked over and sat down on the bottom step of the stairs. It had become the designated time out spot. Rachel hated this step, she hated it a lot. She had apologized! Emily ignored her, as she always did when Rachel was in time out and began making breakfast. Rachel watched as she sipped her coffee and smiled a little to herself. Annoyed at being in time out or not, Rachel beamed seeing that she had made the coffee right. Five minutes seemed to drag on and on and on. Rachel shifted her position about fifty times. By the time Emily finally came over to her she was laying upside down.

"Hello." Emily said amused.

Rachel quickly flipped back around and sat up straight, clasping her hands in her lap. "Hello." She said shyly. She was aware that time out meant sitting still and not talking. Emily bent down to Rachel's level and gave her a soft smile, but didn't say anything. Rachel pursed her lips and twiddled her thumbs praying for Emily to say something. "I already apologized." Rachel reminded her after a few painful moments of silence.

"Anything to add?" Emily asked with a small smirk.

"Yelling is disrespectful, and demanding things only gets me in time out and I love you?" Rachel asked quickly.

Emily broke into a grin. "Much better, would you like breakfast?" Emily asked. Rachel wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and slipped into her embrace with a smile. Emily lifted her up off the steps and gave her a hug as JJ walked downstairs, dressed and hair wet. "Do you have anything to say to her?" Emily asked.

Rachel hid behind Emily and pressed her face into her side shyly. Being in time out embarrassed her and she hated having them angry with her. "I'm sorry I yelled and was rude." Rachel whispered. Emily rolled her eyes and passed Rachel over to the blonde who secured Rachel on her hip. She was still relatively tiny and light for an eight year old. Rachel kissed her mother's cheek in hopes that being sweet would make them forget she had yelled at them. "Good morning Momma." She whispered.

JJ smiled, seeing right through Rachel's tactic. With a look to Emily she sighed and flipped Rachel upside down before pulling her back up and ticking her sides a little. Rachel squealed with delight. "Good morning to you too Monkey, how was time out?"

"Not pleasant but I suffered through it."

JJ snorted. "Where did you get that from?" She placed Rachel onto a stool and happily accepted the coffee mug from Emily.

Rachel shrugged and took a bite of her waffle. "Tv." She said with her mouth full. JJ frowned at her and she ducked her head and chewed her food throughly before speaking again.

JJ looked across the table to Emily and met her wife's eyes. Emily nodded and silently, they agreed. "Rach, despite the fact that we're not exactly happy with how you asked us," JJ let out a sigh, "we will take you to see Frankie."

"Really?" Rachel asked, shocked.

Emily nodded. "Under a few conditions."

"We will be with you the entire time." JJ said firmly. "And if either of us feels that the situation is not something we're comfortable with, we will be leaving, no exceptions."

"You mean if I freak out and cry?" Rachel asked calmly. JJ frowned at her. "I won't." Rachel insisted. With that Rachel hopped down from the stool and ran upstairs to go get dressed.

"Ugh, this is really gonna suck." Emily groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

* * *

><p>Rachel gripped her mothers hands tightly as they made their way down the dark hall. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, but she refused to show it, knowing Emily and JJ would make her leave. This was important and she was very determined to see it through. She walked over to the seat, took the telephone and put it to her ear, watching as Frankie sullenly flopped down across the glass. Emily and JJ hovered right above her and Rachel felt like she couldn't breathe. They were too close, she didn't want them near Frankie. It tainted them somehow. "Can you guys wait over there?" She asked, pointing to the wall a few feet away.<p>

"Rachel, we agreed..." JJ began

"Just over there, you can still see me and hear me." Rachel pleaded.

Emily licked her lips and sighed, glaring at Frankie, then placing her hand on JJ's elbow and tried to lead her away. JJ held her ground, bent down and took the phone from Rachel. "You will listen to her and if I see one tear, or a single tremble of her lip I will make you wish you were never born." She said fiercely before handing the phone back to Rachel and walking over to the wall.

Emily looked a little shocked but gave Frankie her best glare and followed her wife. "Impressive." She whispered.

"I'm freaking out." JJ hissed.

"Here." Emily pulled a small bag of cheetos out of her pocket with a smirk.

"You're mean." JJ pouted.

"You know you want them so just crunch quietly and stew."

With a glare JJ wrenched the bag from Emily's hands and ripped the bag open. "Don't bite your nails." She chastised without looking over at her wife. With a glare of her own, Emily pulled her hand away from her face and crossed her arms.

"This sucks." Emily whispered.

"I concur."

Emily made a face at JJ. "You concur? When did you start saying that?"

"Rachel learned the word, she's been saying it, its stuck in my head, shut up I can't hear."

"You get mean when you're nervous."

"I will pinch you."

Rachel couldn't hear her mothers squabbling. She had her eyes locked on Frankie. She had been rehearsing what she wanted to say to him for almost an entire month. She hadn't told her mothers that she wanted to talk to him until she was sure of what she needed to say. "Hi." She began softly. Frankie grunted in response. Rachel took a deep breath. "I'm eight now."

"Congratulations." Frankie said with disinterest.

"Emily and JJ adopted me. My last name's Prentiss now. I don't belong to you anymore, I belong to them."

"Kid, I'm actually aware of this, the lawyer sent me a letter."

"Well, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to make sure you knew that I'm not yours. And...and I wanted to thank you."

Frankie looked up, shocked at her words. Behind her, JJ froze, a cheeto hovering just by her mouth and Emily began gnawing at her thumb.

"Thank me?" He asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yes. You taught me how to dance, I'm really good, my dance teacher – who is a lot nicer than you – says that if I work hard I could maybe be a professional dancer. I love dance now, you didn't ruin it for me."

Frankie still looked confused and Emily and JJ both looked like they wanted to throw up, or throw something, preferably at Frankie's head.

"And..." Rachel bit her lower lip, growing more nervous, but pressing on. This was important to her. "And...if you hadn't been so mean to me, Em...Mommy and Momma wouldn't have ever found me. You're a really bad person, but you didn't turn me into one. I'm good...well most of the time sometimes I get put in time out, but I don't hurt people like you and I never will."

JJ crushed her cheeto bag and Emily's thumb began to bleed a little. Frankie looked uncomfortable and Rachel was only getting started.

"I have a lot of people who love me. I have a best friend named Jack and two other friends named Tommy and Kaley. I have an aunt who dresses me up like a doll and pinches my cheeks and is always super happy to see me. I have a grandmother who is an Ambassador. She's really important and smart and rich and is going to take me to Paris. I have grandparents who come stay with me when Mommy and Momma go away for work and Grams makes cookies and Grandpa is teaching me how to ride a bike."

Emily had clutched JJ's hand and was gripping it tightly, both women had tears in their eyes. Both had long abandoned their nails and cheetos.

"I have four uncles." Rachel said proudly. "Which is way better than one dad. Mr Dave has a big huge house and he doesn't care if I run around and break things in it. Morgan is teaching me how to box and lets me watch zombie movies and I can do pull ups on his arm. Mr Hotch pretends to be all tough but he will actually play _Doctor Who_ with you and laugh when no grown ups are around; and Spence will tell me anything I want to know. He's my favorite person, besides Mommy and Momma."

Rachel turned around and smiled at her mothers, both of them looked ready to fall apart.

"They love me." Rachel smiled, oblivious to Frankie's annoyance, or she simply didn't care. Frankie no longer mattered to her. She didn't need his validation, she didn't need anything from him. "They tell me all the time, Mommy taught me how to read and Momma is teaching me how to cook and how to play soccer and Mommy is going to teach me how to swim. I moved up a grade, and I'm smart. I have a family and its because you never acted like my family. So, I wanted to thank you and tell you that I forgive you."

Frankie looked ready to throw up and gripped the phone tightly causing his knuckles to whiten.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." Rachel placed the telephone into its hook and stood up without giving Frankie a single glance. She finally felt free of him once and for all, his reaction didn't matter. Rachel had come and said what she wanted to say and she felt like a weight had been lifted. In a way, this meant more than trusting Emily and JJ, than her nightmares stopping, it meant more than the adoption, than not needing to talk to Dr Yang, that she hadn't wet the bed in months or didn't panic when Emily and JJ left for a case; Rachel had done this all on her own and finally, she felt like a normal kid. She skipped to her completely overwhelmed mothers and beamed up at them. "I'm ready to go now."

JJ bent down and picked Rachel up, clinging to her tightly and walked down the hall unable to say a word. Emily shot a glance back at an astonished Frankie, then quickly followed them, taking the hand JJ held out for her. JJ was visibly crying as they walked through the parking lot and Emily moved to take Rachel from her as she began to shake but JJ shook her head and clung tighter. "Momma, you're squeezing me too tight!" Rachel protested.

"I'm sorry baby." JJ said, loosening her grip and kissing Rachel all over her face.

"Eww, Momma!"

"Oh, just let her hug you." Emily ordered as she wrapped her arms around them both.

"You are both being really weird." Rachel complained, but she let them both hug and kiss her and continue to cry.

"Because we're proud of you." Emily said.

"So proud." JJ added.

"And we love you." Emily said, the tears flowing down her face.

"So much!"

Rachel sighed. "You're embarrassing me, we're in public."

Emily and JJ looked at each other then burst out laughing. "She's embarrassed by us now, great." Emily said sarcastically.


	40. Chapter 40

**I have enjoyed writing this story immensely and a lot of that has to do with you guys:) I am sad to see it come to an end, but its not really the end. This is not a goodbye, more of a see you later. I have every intention of picking up with these characters older some time in the future. Maybe a few one shots or something. I do not know when, but I promise you, it will happen:) With that being said, I cannot thank you enough for all of your comments and love for this little story. I hope you enjoy the end and its been a great ride. **

_ "Take these broken wings, and learn to fly."_

_The Beatles_

Rachel peered around the curtain and looked out to the large crowd forming. She felt like she was going to throw up. This infuriated her, she hadn't gotten nervous about preforming in front of an audience since the first time she had done it. Rachel was a pro. If anything, Frankie had made sure of that. It was the one and only good thing he had ever given her. She could preform. Right now, she felt like a terrified little girl who desperately wanted her mothers. Rachel bounced up and down on her toes, nervous energy pouring out of her. She had to pee. Again. Being nervous always made her have to go to the bathroom. Rachel ran away from the curtain and down the hall, pushing past the other dancers backstage and into the bathroom. She tugged at her leotard and costume but couldn't get out of it. She couldn't breathe, she needed to pee and she felt like she was going to throw up.

Sharp knocks on the door made her squeal. "Rach, open up! Its Spence!"

Rachel wrenched the door open. "I can't get out of it! Get me out of it!" She yelled, trying to reach around her back and pull her costume off.

"Hang on, I'll get it." Reid quickly moved forward and unbuttoned Rachel's top, freeing her to get out of the contraption herself.

Rachel slammed the door in Reid's face. "Don't go anywhere Spence!" She yelled. "I'll be right out."

"Okay." Reid mumbled, waving to two little girls who giggled and ran past him. Little dancer girls in costumes and make-up and giggling was not something he was generally familiar with. Where the hell were Emily and JJ? Reid had seen Rachel run past him and chased after her, recognizing the look of terror on her face. The rest of the team were still in the lobby, having literally just gotten back from their latest case. Reid had been assigned to go save their seats.

Rachel opened the door sheepishly. "I can't close it back up." She admitted.

"Oh, um..I probably can."

"Okay, but no looking Spence, you're a boy."

Reid frowned, utterly confused. "I know I'm a boy, what's that got to do with anything?"

Rachel sighed. "Just zip it please." She turned around and bit her bottom lip nervously while Reid zipped up her costume. Even though it was difficult to get in and out of on her own, it was probably her favorite ever. A tight little shinny black dress, sort of in the style of the 1920s flappers; she even had a bright red flower in her hair. "Is everyone here?"

"Yep. Oh, shoot, I was supposed to save seats." Reid remembered as he stood up.

Rachel looked stricken. "There not gonna have seats! Spence!"

"No, no relax I'll go right now, you okay?"

Rachel bit her lip and tasted the red lipstick that was on it, well, had been on it, she had chewed most of it off already. "Umm...yeah I'm fine."

Reid smiled, seeing right through her bravado. "I'll send one of them back here." He bent down and kissed Rachel on the cheek, causing her to grin and blush. "You'll do great Rach, have fun."

Rachel wrapped her arms around Reid's neck before he could stand up. "I love you Spence." She whispered.

"Me too."He grinned sheepishly and gave her a little wave before heading back out to the theater. Rachel walked back to the greenroom and sat down by her things. The room was full of dancers and their mothers, helping them apply make-up, fixing and securing costumes, stretching and last minute running through their dances. Rachel's shoulders slumped. She was the only little girl without a mother present. Even most of the teenagers had theirs popping in and out. Emily and JJ had been with the rest of the team away on a case. They had just arrived back home and Kaley's mother had brought Rachel to the theater, helped her into her costume and applied her stage make-up. Or she had offered to, the only thing Rachel really needed help with was getting into her costume, she had known how to apply her own stage make-up and get her hair back for years. Frankie was certainly not going to do it.

Rachel sat down on the floor and began stretching. Her eyes shot to the door every time it opened. Since the recital started in only fifteen minutes, everyone was in a hurried frenzy. The door opened almost every five seconds and each time Rachel felt a little worse. Trying not to feel bad she turned around and practiced her center split. Seconds later she felt people hovering above her and turned her head around.

"Mommy!" She yelled happily as she saw Emily's smiling face. She got out of her stretch and hugged her mother tightly.

"Hi sweetie." Emily said softly. She hugged her daughter tightly. Their last case had taken a toll on them. Young girls exactly Rachel's age had been kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered. The last little girl had looked strikingly similar to Rachel and they hadn't been able to save her. Emily and JJ had been a wreck the last two days. Emily kissed Rachel's temple then released her as JJ moved over next to them, dodging dancers who ran around her.

"Baby!" JJ yelled, possibly more excited to see Rachel than Rachel was to see her. The case had really broken her for a while. She had desperately needed to see Rachel's face, she knew her daughter was alright, but she needed to see it with her own eyes. JJ swung Rachel up into her arms in a crushing hug, kissing the little girl all over her face.

"Momma!" Rachel yelled as she tried to push JJ away. "You're going to ruin my make-up!"

"Oh my god, you're eight, please just be eight and stop talking about make-up." Emily said while JJ blatantly ignored her and continued hugging and kissing Rachel.

"Momma." Rachel whined.

JJ sighed and loosened her grip, but sat down and kept Rachel in her lap. "Here, we'll fix it." She said as she began digging through Rachel's dance make-up bag. Rachel turned herself around on JJ's lap and sat still while she reapplied the lipstick Rachel had chewed off. "Don't bite your bottom lip anymore, you don't need to be nervous, you have known these dances for months. You'll be great." JJ reassured her. Emily fixed the flower in Rachel's hair, adding a few more bobby pins that Rachel couldn't have reached herself. Rachel began playing with JJ's necklace shyly. "Baby, you've got nothing to be nervous about." JJ repeated.

"I know. I'm not, well I was, but I'm not now." She looked up at her mothers and smiled. "You guys and Spence fixed that. I just...I thought you weren't going to make it."

"So did we for a second." Emily said softly. "But we wouldn't miss this for the world Rach."

Rachel grinned and looked up as her teacher called for everyone's attention. "Alright, moms, dads, everyone who isn't a dancer you need to head back to the theater and take your seats. Dancers, line up for the opening number please."

Emily and JJ both leaned in and kissed Rachel's cheeks for good luck and told her they would see her after the recital. Rachel ran over and stood next to Kaley bouncing on her toes, this time out of excitement rather than nerves. Kaley gripped Rachel's hand. "What if I mess up?" She whispered in terror.

"You won't." Rachel said giving her friend a hug. "We're gonna be awesome and after were gonna get pizza and ice cream!"

"And flowers." Kaley added, her nerves slipping away seeing that her friend was so calm. "My mom and dad got me a big thing of flowers."

"Its called a bouquet." Rachel informed her. "That's cool. I've never gotten flowers after a performance before."

"Really?" Kaley asked a little shocked. "But you've done it so many times, like for real, like not just a silly recital, like for grown ups and money."

"That doesn't mean you get flowers. I never knew any of the people I danced for. Its usually people you know who give you flowers. Like parents and friends and stuff. I never had any of those." Rachel explained as the got into place backstage. Their teacher was onstage, announcing the sign up for summer classes, informing them of the reception after the recital, to please not come back into the green room during intermission, and that the recital was being tapped professionally if people wanted to purchase a copy.

"You do now." Kaley whispered as the music began and the oldest girls leaped onto the stage. "You've got more people here than anyone I think."

Rachel beamed at Kaley, then quickly twirled onto the stage behind her to join in the opening number. She plastered on her stage smile, this time, nothing about it felt forced. She was happy. She could hear cheers and whistles coming from the front and grinned even more as she caught sight of Morgan, Garcia and Reid standing up in the front row waving and calling her name. Morgan had Jack held up in his arms, Emily and JJ were cheering and clapping, while Hotch and Rossi smiled and waved. Her grandparents were all there as well, even Elizabeth had made sure she had the entire day off. The lights were very bright and Rachel could only get a glimpse of them, but it was enough.

Rachel and Kaley sat backstage with the rest of the dancers glued to the small television screen that was recording the recital. Since they weren't allowed to go out into the theater in costume it was the only way they could watch each other's dances. They had completed the opening number and had changed into their next costume. Their first dance was up after this once was completed. It was a jazz routine and Rachel's second favorite.

"Oh my god she looks amazing." Emily whispered to JJ as Rachel and her class entered and began their dance.

"That's _our _kid." JJ whispered back proudly.

"Emily dear, you should be proud." Elizabeth said from behind her. "She is a much more talented dancer than you ever were."

Emily rolled her eyes while JJ and Reid stifled laughs. Elizabeth had her eyes glued to the stage and didn't even realize what she had just said. "Thank you mother." Emily said sarcastically. Rachel and her class bowed and ran off the stage while the group clapped loudly.

During intermission Jack stuffed as many cookies into his pockets as he could while none of the adults were looking. He tried to slip away from his father and go give one to Rachel, but Hotch caught him at the greenroom door. "Jack." He said firmly. Jack grimaced and turned around, plastering the most innocent look on his face he could manage.

"Yes Daddy?"

"You can't go in there, the girls are changing." He said leading Jack back over to the team.

"Rachel won't care, we've changed in front of each other before."

"We'll the older girls might and you're not allowed, wether Rachel cares or not."

"Fine." Jack groaned. The lights flickered on and off twice, signaling for everyone to return to their seats.

Rachel bit her bottom lip then quickly stopped remembering JJ's instructions. She had a surprise for her mothers. She hadn't told them that she had a tap solo. They thought she was just in the opening number, her jazz dance, her ballet class and her tap class, along with the finale. Rachel had preformed all of those – minus the finale – to perfection. Usually only the older girls got solos, but Rachel's teacher had been so impressed with her tapping that she had given her one as well. Rachel wanted it to be a surprise. She jumped up and down and shook out her arms and legs trying to will the nerves out of her body. She was the last number before the finale, and she could see her family from her position backstage but none of them could see her. The eldest girls hip hop number was almost halfway over and then it would be Rachel's turn. Hotch, Rossi and Andrew all looked bored, Rossi looked like he might even be asleep. Jack was on Morgan's lap, nibbling on a cookie, his head slumped back and watching intently, but clearly he had had his fill at this point. Garcia and Reid were whispering to each other and pointing between dancers, Elizabeth and Mary were talking and clearly disapproving of the girls costumes. Rachel glanced onstage, they were a little skimpy. Emily and JJ were both looking at the program. Rachel grinned, in order to really keep it a surprise, her dance teacher had neglected to put her solo in the program. It simply said tap solo, no name, no song, no other information.

The song finished and the girls posed, all smiles as the audience clapped. They ran off the stage, all whispering good luck to Rachel. She smiled at them shyly and took a deep breath. Her song began, _'Little Bitty Pretty One'_ by Bobby Darin.

_Mmm mmm mmm mmm..._

Rachel tapped her way onto the stage, loving the loud gasps she heard as her family recognized her.

_Little bitty pretty one  
>Come on and talk to me<br>Lovey dovey lovey one  
>Come sit down on my knee<em>

She executed each step perfectly, dancing better than she ever had before in her life. It felt amazing. She could see Emily and JJ – all of her family really – sitting on the edge of their seats, beaming at her. Jack and Morgan were clapping along with the beat.

_Tell you a story  
>Happened long time ago<br>Little bitty pretty one  
>I've been watching you grow<em>

The entire audience began clapping along to Morgan and Jack's beat. Rachel felt like she was floating. As the song wound down Rachel kept the grin on her face and finished off her best tricks. Doing a full on flip in tap shoes wasn't easy and the entire audience exploded.

_Mmm mmm mmm mmm..._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh..._

Rachel grinned and slipped into her ending pose. Grinning madly from ear to ear as her family jumped to their feet and screamed her name. Morgan stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. JJ was screaming over the clapping that Rachel was her baby and Emily had tears in her eyes. Rachel bowed and ran off stage, hurriedly yanking her tap shoes off as the music for the finale came on. Kaley and an older dancer, Paige, were there, helping her out of her tap shoes, into her jazz ones and pulling the recital t-shirt over her head so she matched the rest of the company. She turned around and followed them back onto the stage, doing another perfectly executed flip and climbing onto Paige's back for their final pose. The entire audience stood up and clapped while the dancers posed, then bowed and ran offstage. Rachel and Kaley threw their things together into their bags and ran out of the greenroom to find their families. Rachel scanned the lobby wishing she were taller as everyone towered over her.

"Rachel!" Jack yelled. Rachel whipped her head around and was met with a crushing hug from Jack that almost knocked her over. "You were awesome. Can you teach me how to do that tapping thing?"

"Sure!"

Jack dropped his voice to a whisper as the rest of the group came up behind him. "I stole you some cookies, they're in my pockets."

"Awesome."

"Rachel!" Emily yelled, swinging her up into a hug. "You were amazing! Why didn't you tell us you had a solo?"

"I wanted to surprise you." Rachel said with a grin. The entire team and her grandparents surrounded her, all talking a mile a minute congratulating her and showering her with hugs and kisses and lots and lots of flowers. She was passed around to everyone, each hugging and mooning all over her. Suddenly shy from all the attention, Rachel pulled away from Morgan's hold and held her arms out to JJ, desperately wanting her mother. Rachel wrapped her legs around her waist and hid her face into JJ's neck, overwhelmed.

"How about Em and I go get your stuff together and we'll meet you guys at the pizza place?" JJ said, sensing Rachel's discomfort.

"Okay sounds good." Hotch said, ushering everyone out of the lobby.

Emily and JJ carried Rachel back into the greenroom and gathered her things. Rachel refused to be put down. Tightening her grasp as JJ tried to set her on the floor. "Rachel." She said with a laugh as she let go of her hold completely and Rachel hung there like the little monkey her nickname suggested.

"I missed you." Was Rachel's only explanation. "Did you get the bad guy?"

JJ shot a solemn glance to Emily as the brunette picked up Rachel's bag and they made their way back out into the lobby. "Yeah Monkey, we got him." She answered softly. Rachel kissed JJ's cheek and refused to let her deposit her in the backseat. "Rach..." JJ said with a sigh.

"I missed you." She said again.

"Miss me buckled in from the backseat." JJ ordered. Rachel grumbled but let go and crawled in the car, buckling herself and sticking her tongue out playfully at JJ. Emily rolled her eyes and started the car.

Rachel ran into the pizza place pulling Emily along behind her. "Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" She chanted, Jack joining in with her as they climbed into the very large booth near the back. Hotch and Emily hushed the both of them and the group all ordered their food, still gushing over Rachel's performance. She grinned and shyly slammed her head into Emily's side. Mary and Garcia had been taking pictures all day long and ordered Rachel and Jack to sit up at the stools for a pose. Rachel was still clad in her costume, now in bright orange converse sneakers, nude tights, her black dance dress, and a red t-shirt promoting the dance studio. Her hair was still pulled tight back into a bun, the flower still in it. The two children wrapped their arms around each others shoulders and grinned. Then did one where they stuck their tongues out, then Jack picked Rachel up, then she pick him up, and then finally their food arrived.

Morgan playfully swiped some pizza sauce onto Rachel's nose halfway through lunch. Rachel squealed and was about to retaliate when Emily quickly grabbed her hand to stop her. "Really?" She asked Morgan. He simply shrugged and winked at Rachel while Emily rolled her eyes. The group stuffed themselves, took about a hundred pictures, congratulated Rachel over and over again and finally dispersed hours later.

As they drove home Rachel yawned, tired from the late hour and the excitement of the day. Emily and JJ had yet to even get home since their last case and gratefully flopped down onto the couch immediately. Rachel ignored both of them and ran upstairs to change. Not hearing them once she had shimmied her way out of her dance costume and went into the bathroom. She had never been very good at washing make-up off her face, so instead, she took a shower, knowing it would come off if she scrubbed hard enough. Leaving a wet mess in the bathroom, she ran naked and dripping down the hall when she couldn't find a towel. "Mommy!" She yelled. "Where are the towels?" Receiving no answer Rachel huffed and stamped into her parents bedroom. "Momma?" There was no one in the room. Confused, Rachel looked at the clock on the bedside table, it read 10:27pm. Rachel was cold and wet and she was very annoyed that her mothers were not where they were supposed to be. Ignoring the fact that she was naked, she stamped down the stairs. "Momma!" She yelled a little angrily. She paused as she saw them. Sound asleep, wrapped up into each other on the couch where they had sat down twenty minutes before. Rachel grinned and walked over to them. Pulling her hair together, she hovered above them and wrung it out in their faces.

"Ah!" JJ yelled, waking up and blinking.

"Rachel!" Emily asked. "What? What the hell?"

"Why are you naked?" JJ asked.

"I took a shower." Rachel said as if her mother should already know this. "There aren't any towels." She complained.

"Oh...um..okay, hang on I'll find one."

"It's okay, I'm pretty much dry now." Rachel said with s shrug, sitting down onto Emily's lap. The brunette grimaced. Rachel was not actually dry, but she let her sit on her lap anyway. JJ laughed and stood up, walking into the kitchen, she got a small towel and came back over to them. She pulled Rachel's head over and began drying her hair much to Rachel's annoyance and protests. "Momma!" She squealed as JJ kept the towel in her face.

JJ laughed and lifted Rachel up off of Emily, smirking at the wet spot all over the brunette's pants. "You little menace." She said setting Rachel down and pushing her forward. The three of them headed upstairs. Rachel went into her bedroom and found a pair of undies, climbing into them, she walked back to her mothers bedroom, half naked. Emily and JJ were getting dressed in their own pjs, Rachel took Emily's FBI shirt away from her and pulled it over her own head.

"I was gonna wear that." Emily informed her.

"May I borrow it please?" Rachel asked, already wearing the shirt.

Emily shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, sure."

Rachel walked over to the bed and crawled in, climbing on top of JJ who was already in the bed. "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?" She whispered. JJ looked up at Emily who was pulling on a different t-shirt. She sighed. Rachel had grown into the habit of crawling into their bed the first night they always came home from a case. Neither of them minded, she no longer panicked, she no longer doubted they wouldn't come home, and other than an few little meltdowns which were to be expected once in a while, Rachel had almost no problems when they left on cases. Needing to sleep with them the night they got back appeared to be her only quirk.

"Sure baby." JJ murmured as Emily crawled in and shut the light off. JJ placed Rachel in between them and sighed happily. She couldn't believe this was her life now. A few years ago she had been a young single woman, terrified of commitment, dedicated to her job and wether she would admit it to herself or not, terribly lonely. Now, she had an amazing wife whom she loved more than anything in the world, a beautiful, spunky daughter who made her smile everyday, she was a profiler, she was damn good at her job, and she had the most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for. JJ rolled her head over and was met with Emily's smiling face, she knew the brunette could see exactly what she was thinking. Emily leaned over and kissed her softly.

"I love you." Emily whispered.

"I love you too." JJ whispered back. "So much."

"Stop kissing, its gross and I'm trying to sleep." Rachel complained with her eyes closed. Emily and JJ grinned at each other, then bent down and began simultaneously peppering Rachel with kisses as she squealed and tried of push them off. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.


End file.
